Bay Mills Resort & Casino To Reopen Friday Following Electrical Fire

An electrical fire at Bay Mills Resort & Casino on Saturday led to a temporary closure of the complex.

On Thursday, Bay Mills announced on its Facebook page that it will resume operations on Friday, May 20 at 3 p.m.

The fire took place in the information technology room on the main floor of Bay Mills.

All guests and workers were safely accounted for and no injuries were reported.

When the Bay Mills fire happened

According to Bay Mills, the fire started around 7 p.m. in the information technology room.

“I noticed that the fire strobes were blinking in the casino,” Bay Mills Casino Surveillance Technician Jack Kronemeyer told UpNorthLive. “So I went back to my office, and in the process, I started smelling smoke and then I looked up at our lights in our office, and there was smoke coming out of the ceiling.”

The fire triggered the sprinkler system, which required the temporary evacuation of the resort.

All 250 guests and employees were safely accounted for. Guests were able to remain in the hotel for the night. Those that had to leave will be issued a full refund on their rooms.

Superior Township Fire Crew, Bay Mills Township Fire Crew, Bay Mills Police Department, and Bay Mills directors, Supervisors, and managers all came together in the effort to assist with the fire and protecting the patrons and workers.

What was damaged in the Bay Mills fire

Due to the fire and sprinkler triggers, the heart of Bay Mills information technology system was severely compromised.

The credit cards, gaming, Internet, phone, and ATM systems became non-operational.

With the systems expected to be down for 3-5 days, Bay Mills Resort & Casino made the decision to temporarily close until the issues were fixed. Upon reopening on Friday, Bay Mills stated that they will still be working through some technical issues and ask for patience and understanding from its guests.

On Sunday, Bay Mills posted that any reservation from Sunday-Thursday had to be canceled. They were unable to operate the reservation system at the time. Reservations will be honored starting on Friday.

Surrounding areas not impacted

Though the casino floors are closed, the fire didn’t impact operations for surrounding businesses.

Bay Mart Gas Station, Four Seasons Market & Deli, and Northern Light Cannabis Company are open and fully operational.

Wild Bluff Golf Course remained open, but was cash only until the information technology systems were back up.

DraftKings still operational

While Bay Mills Resort & Casino may not be operational in the short term, its online platform provider is still up and running.

DraftKings Sportsbook MI is partnered with Bay Mills for its online sportsbook and casino.

A big score for Bay Mills, DraftKings ranks second all-time in Michigan for online sports betting handle ($1.3 billion). It also is third in sports betting revenue ($66.6 million).

When it comes to iGaming, DraftKings is second all-time in Michigan for online revenue at $245.5 million.