The Gun Lake Casino was expected to bring gamblers from all over Michigan once it opened, but not many were prepared for what happened on Friday. The casino filled to capacity, forcing law enforcement officials to close exit ramps.
Early Friday afternoon, the officials closed exit ramps at 129th Avenue off US-131. The casino parking lots were
"We do not have a firm number on capacity," said Gun Lake general Manager David Frankhouser, in a statement. "That is a judgement call for security to make based on the number of people walking around the facility." Frankhouser claimed earlier in the statement that, "We are at capacity right now. Our parking lot is full and our sign indicates that fact to the public."
The casino was not encouraging gamblers to leave and come back at a later time. Instead, the casino urged gamblers left out to be patient and wait their turn to come inside. The plan was to monitor the situation hourly, and when enough people had left, new cars would be brought in to the parking lot.
Michigan residents have been waiting for years for the new casino to open and that finally happened. The neighboring businesses were the big winners, with the overflow crowd going to get something to eat or drink while waiting their turn to go into the casino.
Michigan is one of the states that has embraced casino gambling, but not all have warmed to the Wayland Township casino. Court battles are still ongoing over the casino, and although the casino was filled Friday, concerns still remain about the impact it will have both financially and socially on the community.
February 12, 2011
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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