CASINO COMMUNICATIONS
Q &
A
Sal Semola
President and CEO , Gun Lake Casino
Sal Semola has almost 30 years experience in gaming management , with companies such as Greektown Casino in Detroit , Cannery Casinos and Warner Gaming in Las Vegas and several tribal and riverboat casinos . But it wasn ’ t until Semola was hired at Gun Lake Casino in Wayland , Michigan that he really hit his stride . He was able to advise the owners of the casino , the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians , how to grow their casino while helping to diversify their economy . The tribe is about the complete phase five , and most spectacular of its expansion project . He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros from his home in Michigan during a winter storm in February .
GGB : It ’ s been a long time since you took over at Gun Lake , and you ’ ve been doing such a great job that I don ’ t think they ’ ll ever let you go .
Semola : I appreciate that . I ’ m blessed with great support from leadership and also a good executive team . I ’ ve been here now approximately five and a half years . And it ’ s been fun . We ’ ve done a lot of good things and more to come .
Explain what region of Michigan you ’ re in . You ’ re just south of Grand Rapids , correct ?
Yes , sir . We are just outside of Grand Rapids located off of Highway 131 , which is a major north-south artery for Western Michigan , so it ’ s highly trafficked , and we ’ re about equidistant between Grand Rapids , which is the second largest city in the state , and Kalamazoo , Michigan as well .
So I ’ m mistaken thinking that you ’ re out in the woods somewhere ?
No — our area is somewhat rural . But in the time that I ’ ve been here , I ’ ve seen just a ton of growth and development in the area , whether it ’ s residential or office buildings . Even the Grand Rapids
International Airport is undergoing a major expansion . So there ’ s a lot of things happening in this area .
Currently you ’ re completing a $ 300 million expansion . What are some of the elements of that build-out ?
We are calling the expansion phase five . It comprises a 252-room , four-diamond hotel — we don ’ t have a hotel currently — a spa , additional food and beverage venues , expanded casino space , albeit slightly , and what we refer to as the Aquadome , all designed by HBG Design .
And what was the reason for this expansion ? You ’ ve already had four phases prior to this one . Why did the triad think it was necessary for such a major project ?
That ’ s a great question . And the short answer is we ’ re playing catch-up . Back in the day when the tribe began this process and partnered with Station at that time , there were a couple of lawsuits that put a little bit of a hamper on what was going to be built . That lawsuit went on for years and ultimately went to the U . S . Supreme Court . The tribe ultimately did prevail , but you had that overhang , and also at the same time as the project was being developed , the financial crisis under way .
So those two things really impacted what was built initially . Like I said , we ’ re playing catch-up here now . I came on midway through what was characterized as the phase-three expansion , which was rather modest in the sense it was maybe a 100-slot machine addition to the floor . But it was really about a connector building for a parking garage that was needed in anticipation of meeting the needs of future expansions due to the increased traffic , and also the depletion of existing surface parking .
And then phase four , which we just completed in September 2021 , comprised three new F & B outlets , and began to set the table for phase five . Once phase five , which is the current expansion , is complete , we will still be smaller than two other successful properties in the area despite Gun Lake Casino , and Grand Rapids in particular , having much more favorable MSAs .
What I hear about the tribal leadership is very impressive — that they ’ re thinking beyond gaming — and I believe they have a new mixed-use non-gaming development under way . Is this a path for the future for not only Gun Lake , but for progressive tribes ?
Yes . I believe you ’ re spot on . The tribal leadership here is extremely forward-thinking . I think that when you take into account that they ’ ve only been on their own , so to speak — outside of the umbrella of employing a management company — they ’ re much further along in that cycle of evolution , in terms of how they look at business and the future .
With that , I believe that tribal gaming enterprises in general as they become more mature over time and realize that there ’ s economic opportunities that they can comfortably participate in outside of the sovereignty umbrella , they become more comfortable investing in that area . And you ’ ll see more of that ; we ’ ve already seen it in the commercial gaming front .
As you know , I was part of the Greektown Casino opening , which was the first commercial Native-owned casino in the country . And since then , we ’ ve had a few more . And I think it ’ s just the beginning , as they get more comfortable and they meet their more immediate needs . And this is for every tribe .
And some tribes are larger than others , so that may take longer than others , and may be in a worse place to start off with than other tribes , and maybe in a better place . But I think ultimately 10 , 15 , 20 years from now , there won ’ t be a tribe that has gaming for at least 10 years under the belt that isn ’ t seriously considering other economic opportunities .
54 Global Gaming Business APRIL 2023