{"id":800,"date":"2026-02-03T16:58:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/?p=800"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:30:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T13:30:50","slug":"bay-mills-resort-casino-on-michigans-upper-peninsula-opens-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/03\/bay-mills-resort-casino-on-michigans-upper-peninsula-opens-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"Bay Mills Resort Casino on Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula Opens Expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><strong>The expansion at Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino in Michigan is complete<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The new hotel and resort amenities opened to the public on Jan. 31<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has officially opened its doors to its expanded facility.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_375225\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-375225\" data-style=\"width: 858px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-post-thumbnail-858xAUTO wp-image-375225 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Bay Mills Resort Casino\" width=\"858\" height=\"572\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-12.42.51\u202fPM-858x572-1.jpg\"><figcaption>New hotel rooms, pictured on the left, are seen in a screenshot of an online webcam of the Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino in Michigan&#8217;s Upper Peninsula. The tribal casino recently opened its expanded resort. (Image: Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A project five years in the making, officials with the tribal destination located on Waiska Bay, the southeastern edge of Lake Superior, formally opened the Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino expansion facilities on Jan. 29. The multimillion-dollar investment brings an additional 135 guestrooms and suites to the hotel along with new resort amenities, including a spa, an indoor pool and splash pad, indoor and outdoor saunas, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a fitness center, an arcade, and additional dining options.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is an exciting milestone that elevates the guest experience and ushers in a new era of luxury, entertainment, and community pride for the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baymills.org\/_files\/ugd\/869f65_12fb1dbe0e734284a2bca62def102e46.pdf\">said<\/a> resort General Manager Richard LeBlanc.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8220;This expansion is the culmination of years of hard work, a shared vision, and the strength of our people,&#8221; added Bay Mays Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle. &#8220;BMIC has long been a leader in gaming, and we are excited to continue that legacy with this expansion.&#8221;<\/span><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Gaming &#8216;Leader&#8217; Is Trailing<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Gravelle is correct in asserting that the BMIC has been a leader in Michigan tribal gaming, as the federally recognized tribe was among the first native nations to secure a Class III gaming compact with the state. The Bay Mills tribe was one of seven sovereign nations that struck a deal with Michigan in 1993 to operate Las Vegas-like slot machines and table games on its native lands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Over the years, however, the Bay Mills Casino has lagged severely behind other Michigan tribal casinos. Its remote location and long, cold, snowy winters put it at a competitive disadvantage with Lower Peninsula tribal properties.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Michigan Gaming Control Board <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/mgcb\/-\/media\/Project\/Websites\/mgcb\/Annual-Reports\/2024\/2024-Tribal-Gaming-Annual-Report---Final-Draft.pdf?rev=b82b6ff60f19467eaba531c6533a6f37&amp;hash=A8553A316C0B830450EA643F3AA84AB0\">reports<\/a> that the Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino generated gross gaming revenue of approximately $18.7 million in 2024. The casino houses about 600 slots, a dozen tables, and a DraftKings Sportsbook. <\/span><span class=\"s1\">BMCI&#8217;s gaming revenue ranked last among the 12 tribes that conduct Class III gaming in Michigan. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and its three casinos led with GGR of $329.7 million.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Most internet gaming and online sports betting activity conducted by third-party partners with the tribes is subject to state law and therefore not included in the tribal gaming revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Resort Offerings<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Along with the casino and hotel, which now offers 270 rooms, Bay Mills features a 124-spot RV park, the 18-hole Wild Bluff Golf Course, and four restaurants and bars. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong><span class=\"s1\">During the long winter months, when average snowfall is about 100 inches a year, the Bay Mills Resort Casino offers snowmobiling trails. Hiking trails around the golf course are also available for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">During the warmer months, guests can visit various nearby attractions, such as Tahquamenon Falls, Soo Lock, and the Pt. Iroquois Lighthouse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bay-mills-resort-casino-michigan-upper-peninsula-opens-expansion\/\">Bay Mills Resort Casino on Michigan&#8217;s Upper Peninsula Opens Expansion<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\">Casino.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The expansion at Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino in Michigan is complete The new hotel and resort amenities opened to the public on Jan. 31 Bay Mills Resort &amp; Casino on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has officially opened its doors to its expanded facility. New hotel rooms, pictured on the left, are seen in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":803,"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions\/803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cerulepillar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}