Michigan’s Gun Lake Casino reopened on Sunday following a two-day closure due to extreme winter weather.
Gun Lake Casino as seen in December 2021. The tribal casino was forced to close for two days due to extreme weather. (Image: Gun Lake Casino)
The Wayland, Mich. casino shuttered at 7 pm on Friday and reopened at 10 am on Christmas Day. The decision to close the casino came about after severe weather struck western Michigan.
“The safety of guests and team members is the top priority due to the blizzard-like conditions present throughout the region,” the casino explained in a statement.
The nasty weather in western Michigan improved slightly on Saturday night. But snow continued to fall late on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day.
Wind gusts lessened to 10 to 20 mph. By Sunday night the winds became calmer.
The prior winds and snowfall were just too dangerous to keep the tribal casino open.
UPDATE: For the safety of our Guests and Team Members, Gun Lake Casino will be closing to the public Friday, December 23, at 7PM. We will be re-opening Sunday, December 25, at 10AM.
Promotional Drawings will be rescheduled for a later date and further communicated. pic.twitter.com/UVDNoo4Zkc
— Gun Lake Casino (@GunLakeCasino) December 23, 2022
Gun Lake Casino is located off of Exit 61 on US Route 131. It is about halfway between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
Due to the storm, large sections of Route 131 were closed. Would-be guests and casino employees were encouraged to stay at home until road conditions and visibility improved.
Promotional drawings planned at the casino for the weekend will be rescheduled.
Gun Lake Casino is owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians.
National Impact
The winter weather was a continuing problem for much of the nation. Many flights were impacted.
Nationally, by 9 am ET on Monday, more than 1,575 flights were canceled. Some 1,875 flights were delayed.
More disruptions are likely later today, with travelers trying to make their way home or to another location via the air despite winter weather and frigid temperatures.
On Sunday, there were 3,178 canceled flights and 6,870 delays nationally, CNN reported.
On Christmas Eve, 3,487 flights were canceled nationally. Friday had 5,934 cancellations. On Thursday, there were almost 2,700 cancellations.
The airports with the most cancellations include Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Denver International Airport, Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Chicago Midway International Airport.
Las Vegas Flights
Airline passengers flying to or from Las Vegas keep on facing cancelled and delayed flights. By 6 am PT Monday, there were already 68 delayed flights and 90 cancelled flights at Harry Reid International Airport, FlightAware, a flight tracking site, reported.
As the week continues, hazardous winter weather is expected to ease. Winds will lessen and temperatures will rise. That should help travelers boarding flights between now and New Year’s Day.
Still, Monday and Tuesday are expected to be the busiest days this week at some airports, CBS reported. Some travel experts warn passengers to instead take flights on Wednesday or Thursday, the report added.
Nationally, some 54 million passengers are expected to fly between last week and January 3, Hopper.com, a provider of a popular travel app, reported. That number is 20% higher than the same period last Christmas season.
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