WAYLAND, MI – The Gun Lake Casino will nearly double its current size when it completes a $76 million expansion that broke ground in January, tribal officials announced on Tuesday, April 12.

When it opens in the summer of 2017, the new portion of the 5-year-old casino will have added add 73,000 square feet of space to the existing 83,000-square-foot facility, officials of the Gun Lake Tribe said at a news conference held at the facility.

The enlarged casino will include a new buffet restaurant, a high-limit gaming room, and a new Stage 131 entertainment lounge that will offer enough seating to attract regional entertainers.

"This $76 million expansion will produce economic growth and more career opportunities for our tribal citizens and our friends and neighbors here in West Michigan," said Ed Pigeon, acting chairman of the tribe and casino board.

"We are proud to make a significant investment in our property for the enjoyment of guests, which in turn will bring increased benefits to the local community."

A 300-seat multi-station buffet restaurant will offer upscale dining choices that include American, Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisines.

A new and relocated Stage 131 entertainment lounge will be twice its current size, offering "enough seating to attract regional entertainers while continuing to showcase the best local musicians," according to a news release.

The expansion also will add 450 slot machines to the 1,600 machines already in place while bringing the total number of table games to 42. A new high-limit gaming room will offer high stakes gambling for high rollers.

The expansion will add 100 new employees to the casino, bringing the total employees to more than 900, casino officials said. The construction project is expected to add 300 to 400 new temporary jobs.

Casino employees will benefit from a new dining room and lounge that includes a break room, café, and personal lockers. Each employee will continue to receive a complimentary meal on every shift.

"The addition of more gaming space, premiere buffet dining, and headline entertainers puts our property on par with any in the Midwest," said John Shagonaby, CEO of the Gun Lake Tribal Gaming Authority.

"Our guests are going to be thrilled with the new gaming, dining and entertainment amenities we will offer here at Gun Lake Casino. An already lively, yet comfortable and fun place for the best entertainment just got better," said Brent Arena, vice president and general manager.

Clark Construction has been hired as construction manager on the project. Preliminary site work was completed this winter, and construction crews have started demolition work, as well as footings and foundations for the building expansion. The northwest parking lot will be closed during construction.

Owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, the casino is operated by MPM Enterprises, LLC, which is owned by an affiliate of Station Casinos, Inc. and private investors.

Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.