In northern Minnesota, the Grand Portage Band Of Lake Superior Chippewa has reportedly completed the second of a planned three-stage renovation of its Grand Portage Lodge And Casino and re-opened the now larger facility following a three-day changeover.

Located in Cook County only seven miles from Minnesota’s border with Canada, the Grand Portage Lodge And Casino reportedly now features a casino with 12,000 sq ft of additional space in order to accommodate 430 extra slots, which include new titles such as Orange Is The New Black, Going XI Fa Cal and Alladdin’s Fortune 3D, alongside gaming tables offering blackjack.

“The Grand Portage Lodge And Casino is happy to announce phase two of the three-part renovation is complete,” Steven Standing Cloud, General Manager for the Grand Portage Lodge And Casino, told local television broadcaster KQDS-TV. “Everybody’s excited about our offerings. In this expansion we have a new gaming floor along with a new front desk. Our casino floor is now using a state-of-the-art ventilation system so there’s not a whole lot of smoke anymore. There’s a lot more breathing space for our guests.”

The federally-recognized Grand Portage Band Of Lake Superior Chippewa, which is based around the 74 sq mile Grand Portage Indian Reservation, reportedly explained that the recent renovation was led by its Grand Portage Tribal Council and moreover encompassed the addition of a streamlined deli as well as a coat check facility while its hotel now comes complete with an arcade, a fitness room and a pool area.

“New and bigger is always better,” Standing Cloud told Canadian television broadcaster TBT News. “We wanted to offer our guests a better atmosphere and give them more space to move around, new surroundings and give them more games to play including new game and the games they’re used to and with the blackjack we hope to appeal to a newer and younger demographic. There are also a lot of area attractions. There’s a national monument and there’s the High Falls and a little spirit tree, [which is] a sacred site here in Grand Portage. It’s a prideful thing and a very sacred place for our band members.”

Concerning the third stage of the renovation, which is set to feature an events center complete with banquet and meeting rooms along with new offices and a revamped restaurant and lounge, the Grand Portage Band Of Lake Superior Chippewa reportedly revealed that it intends to complete the project by the autumn.

“Everybody’s excited [and] everybody wants to get some of this done so that we can move on to bigger and better things,” Standing Cloud told local digital television broadcaster WDIO-DT.