Kewadin Sault Ste. Marie Casino Michigan Review for July 2024

Kewadin Casino at Sault Ste. Marie is one of five casinos owned and run by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Kewadin Sault Ste. Marie casino started out as a one-room blackjack house when it opened in 1985.

After several redevelopments, it is now an impressive resort comprising of a hotel, casino, pool, convention centre and a range of bars, restaurants and even its own theatre.

Authentically designed, Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie has quite an impressive aesthetic. Wood beams, exposed brick pillars, a big, vaulted ceiling and a lovely waterfall feature all add to the visitor experience. 

It is certainly full of character, and I particularly liked the small picturesque bridge over the brook that you walk over to get to the entrance.

Despite its quaint and rustic design at present, the resort is currently in the middle of a multi-million-dollar renovation.

The development will see a completely remodelled white exterior plus modernised hotel rooms too. The aim is for the project to be unveiled for its 40^th birthday in early 2025. 

I visited Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie to see for myself what it’s like to stay and gamble there.

Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie has around 40,000 square feet of gaming space. If you’re familiar with Las Vegas at all, that’s similar to the size of the Golden Nugget casino floor.

Walking to the casino I passed through the main communal area which was decked in big wood beams, cream walls, and various points of interest such as the waterfall and a history of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians display.

There was some natural light coming into this area so it was fairly light and a nice environment. However, when I stepped onto the casino floor, the light darkened considerably and it suddenly felt very enclosed. 

As well as the patterned carpet, the main feature in the casino was the huge wood beams across the ceiling and numerous exposed brick pillars positioned throughout. They almost made the casino look like something from medieval times.

The casino floor was split into two main areas – smoking and non-smoking. The smoking side was definitely the biggest of the two and had a wide range of slots and table games. Meanwhile, the small non-smoking area had just slots and a keno lounge.

Overall, the casino was very clean, despite some of the seating and cabinets looking a little dated.

A big plus of Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie is the fact they have self-serve soda machines on the casino floor so you can help yourself to soft drinks all day. I really appreciated that while I was playing on the slots.

Although there is waitress service at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie, it is very limited and not comped. I did get one drink from a waitress, which I ordered and paid for, but to be honest I was mostly happy topping up my soft drink from the free soda station.

Kewadin took the decision in 2022 to lower their age limit so anyone 18 years and over can gamble in the casino, however you must still be over 21 to purchase alcohol. 

Staff

From the moment I checked in, I found all the staff I spoke to helpful and friendly. The front desk team were efficient and welcoming which always leaves a great first impression.

When I hit the casino, I played a little at the tables and both dealers were professional and polite too.

I played some bar-top games at the main casino bar and the bartender was fun and friendly too. All-in-all I couldn’t fault the customer service throughout my stay. 

Food

Dreamcatchers Restaurant used to be home of the Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie buffet. However, covid put an end to all of that fun. That doesn’t mean it’s still not a great spot to get some food though.

Open Wednesday to Sunday, you can get everything from bountiful breakfasts, sandwiches and burgers to homestyle dinners such as lasagne and New York Strip Steak and for reasonable prices too.

Signatures Lounge is another place to dine. Open daily 2pm to 9pm, they have a small lounge menu serving food baskets with things like shrimp or cheeseburger or snacks like potato skins and Caesar salad.

If you want more of a casual café vibe, then Trail Deli is open every day. With a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas and a whole breakfast selection too, it is a really nice option. I went for the bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and it was really filling for less than $6!

Entertainment

If you like more than just a casino to keep you entertained then you’re in luck at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie.

To start off with, there is an indoor swimming pool, hot tub, steam room, and fitness centre. Free to use for resorts guests, this offers a nice alternative to the casino if you want to relax for a few hours. Incidentally there is also a small room with arcade games right beside the fitness centre too.

In terms of being entertained, Rapids Bar is a great option. During the day it shows all the biggest sporting events on its many TV screens and you can play a game of billiards while you watch. It also has live entertainment every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Showcasing local musical talent on the weekend you can find jazz, reggae, country and classic rock, while Thursday is comedy club night.  

Meanwhile Signatures Lounge also has live music and, if you’d rather be the entertainment than watch the entertainment, you can take to the stage for karaoke every Friday and Saturday night. 

Finally, Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie is home to the DreamMakers Theater where you can catch a variety of live music shows. The 1,500-seat venue has hosted the likes of Keith Urban and Kiss and has a regular line-up of shows. Plus, the 25,000 square feet convention centre hosts a variety of events too.

Outside of the casino, guests may want to visit the famous Soo Locks which are just three miles away. The Soo Locks date back to the mid-1800s and are a remarkable feat of engineering allowing vessels of all sizes to safely traverse the 21-foot drop in elevation of the St. Mary’s River between Lake Superior and Lakes Michigan and Huron. 

Accommodation

There are 319 rooms over six storeys at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie. The hotel from the outside is actually fairly attractive. It does look a little tired (hence the huge renovation), but there is a glass fronted entrance which looks more modern.

I loved the artistic use of wood beams throughout the resort which created an arched entrance and gave it loads of character.

The hotel lobby is pleasant but basic in terms of décor, as are the hotel corridors and, to be truthful, the rooms too.

I had no complaints over the size of my room, it was actually quite big. I booked the Standard King Room and as well as the bed there was a double sofa, coffee table, two bedside tables, a TV unit, and a separate table and two chairs, so there was plenty of space.

The bathroom was quite small though, with a single sink and a bath/shower combination. The mirror was also a little bit oddly placed on the back of the door and directly opposite the toilet.

I found all the usual amenities – hairdryer, iron/ironing board, safe, TV, bathroom toiletries. There was also a coffee machine in the bathroom too. 

I went for the most basic room, but I could have opted for a Suite Room with separate living area or a Whirlpool Room with a large in-room whirlpool.

All-in-all though, to be blunt, I can see why the resort is undergoing room renovations. The size of the rooms are a huge plus, and offer a great foundation, but they are let down by the bland and dated décor. I’m looking forward to seeing what the newly renovated rooms look like.

There is additional accommodation offered at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie and that’s the RV Park. 

Located at the casino’s southwest entrance, there are 64 sites with various amenities such as electrical service, shower house, and water station for $30 per night or $810 per 30 days. RV guests also have use of hotel’s indoor pool and fitness room.

Accessibility

Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie is accessible to wheelchair and reduced mobility users. Service animals are also accepted, but no other pets are allowed in resort.

Games at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie are spaced out in different areas. Overall the casino has around 800 slots, 20 table games plus a keno lounge, an electronic table games area, and a sportsbook. It’s enough, but it’s also not going to worry the best online casinos for variety.

The main casino space has the vast majority of slots, an electronic games area and table games area. This is the smoking casino and to be perfectly honest, it was a very smoky and dark environment to play in. 

There was a good mix of games, some old-style three-reel games, plus many of the modern video slots you would expect. I saw Quick Hits, Wheel of Fortune, Zues PowerLink, Dancing Drums and, Lock-It Link to name a few.

A big electronic table games area took up quite a lot of floor space with ShuffleMaster Roulette, TableMaster Blackjack and virtual Craps with seating for five players.

At the table games area, you can play blackjack, Let it Ride and Heads up Hold’em, but I was told that table games are only available Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm. Therefore, if you like playing at live tables then skip Monday and Tuesday.

The bar in the main casino was nice and I sat for a while here playing some bar-top games while absorbing the casino atmosphere. 

There are two other casino spaces you can choose to play in. One is the non-smoking area which has slots and a keno lounge. This is a much smaller area but the air was a bit cleaner. The other is an even smaller area with seemed to only do old-school three and five-reel slots.

I couldn’t find a specific high-limit gaming area for slots or tables but if slot tournaments are your thing then Kewadin host regular ones. Check out their calendar for full details. They also have frequent Bingo sessions with big cash prizes.

If you’re into sports betting then you can place bets both in Rapids Bar which doubles up as a sportsbook or at any of the kiosks situated around the casino.  

The loyalty program at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie is called Northern Rewards. In fact, it’s the same rewards program across all Kewadin casinos.

Northern Rewards allows you to build up Club Points and Tier Points by spending money in Kewadin resorts, which can then enable you to receive benefits in return.

Club Points have a monetary value (100 Club Points is equal to $1), which you can then redeem against goods and services in Kewadin resorts. Tier Points have no monetary value but allow you to climb the status tiers and therefore receive more perks.

To join Northern Rewards you just need to go along to the rewards desk at any Kewadin casino with some government issues photographic ID. 

Once you have your rewards card, then you present it whenever you gamble at Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie or any other Kewadin casino to build up points.

You earn one Club Point for every $4 bet in slot play and for every $8 bet in video poker. Meanwhile, you earn one Tier Point for every $4 bet in slot play, for every $8 bet in video poker and for every $10 bet on table games.

The Northern Rewards Tiers and benefits are as follows:

• Green Card (1–1,499 Tier points) – comp rooms, 5% dining and shopping discount, comp shuttle service from airport, valet service
• Silver Card (1,500–7,499 Tier points) – as above plus 10% discounts, birthday offers and 2x point multiplier days
• Gold Card (7,500–34,999 Tier points) – as above plus exclusive invitations, room upgrades, guaranteed show reservations, 15% discounts and 3x multiplier days
• Black Card (35,000+ Tier Points) – as above plus guaranteed hotel reservations, late check out, access to Executive Host, 20% discounts, 4x multiplier days

There is also an additional card which is the Valor Card and is available to all active, retired and honourably discharged military, police, fire and EMS. This card is basically the equivalent to the Gold Card and gets you all of those benefits.

Although climbing the status tiers does bring more perks overall, it isn’t necessary in order to receive benefits. 

Club Points can be used to pay for hotel bills, dining, show tickets, gift shop purchases, and slot freeplay. So even on the lowest tier you can still receive some great value. Make sure you sign up to the monthly mailer to get offers sent out to you. 

Another couple of reasons to join Northern Rewards is that being a member allows entry into all promotions and special events, which usually include cash prizes, merchandise prizes, gas discounts, breakfasts etc.

Also, if you live south of the Mackinac Bridge or north of the International Bridge and have to pay a bridge fare to come to Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie then you will get your bridge fare refunded with $8 in Kewadin Credits!

I had a fun time on my visit to Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie. I loved the approach to the resort, the little bridge outside and the glass-fronted wood-beamed entrance. It struck me as having a distinct character from the off.

Up close it did look a little more dated, and I could see why the renovation was underway.

The resort did surprise me in a couple of ways. The internal waterfall was a nice touch, the long corridor with intricate vaulted ceiling was stunning, and the pool area with fitness centre added another element that could potentially make me stay longer.

Although I did find most slots I wanted to play, I found the casino area very dark, smoky and a little bit limited. I’m not sure I would want to spend more than a couple of hours in there at a time without taking a break for natural light and fresh air.

I did like the bar area in the main casino though as well as Signatures Lounge and all of the staff I spoke to were friendly and welcoming too. The self-serve soda machines were particularly appreciated in the casino. 

The main casino area was kept clean but other areas of the resort were a little dusty and tired. My room, however, was spacious and clean if a little old-fashioned and bland in décor.

I would be very interested in retuning to the resort once the renovations are complete to see what changes have been made.

⭐ Standout moment

The standout moment for me was probably just seeing the resort for the first time. Despite looking dated, the resort was full of character and I adored the wood beams and exposed brick features throughout as well as the waterfall.

I really hope the renovation complements this character rather than replaces it. Brand new casinos are all well and good, but never underestimate how important character can be too. 

It’s fair to say that although Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie can’t compete with the mega casino resorts, they do have a little bit of everything. With a casino, hotel, pool, fitness centre, convention centre, theatre, bars and restaurants, there is enough choice and variety to keep visitors entertained.

Whether they are enough to keep visitors busy for more than one or two nights is another thing though.

On the positive side the room was spacious, the pool was nice, the resort had lots of quirky character, the staff were friendly and there were different options for eating and drinking.

On the negative side, the casino was small, smoky and dark and I would probably categorise the resort as being comfortable and pleasant rather than particularly impressive or special. 

Only time will tell if the redevelopment changes that.

🧭 How to Get There

Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie is situated very close to the I-75. If you’re coming from the south take exit 392. If you’re coming from the north take exit 394. The resort is only around 2 miles from the exit in both directions. Free parking is offered on site for hotel and casino guests.

If you’re staying or visiting locally, Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie actually has a shuttle service which will pick you up from other area hotels, local attractions and city campgrounds.

The shuttle service runs every day from 8am and finishes at midnight apart from  

Friday and Saturday when it stops at 2am.To arrange pick up, just call 1.888.KEWADIN.

If you’re coming by air, a complimentary airport shuttle service is offered to and from Chippewa County International Airport (CIU) and Sanderson Field (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan).

Guests must give a minimum of 24-hours notice to book the airport shuttle and to arrange the arrival and departure pick-up time.