Tulalip Resort Casino has wrapped up a three-year expansion that grew its gaming floor to 270,250 square feet and added more than 400 slot machines, pushing the property's total past 2,600 machines. The project, located on the Tulalip Tribes' reservation in Washington, also brought a new North Bar, a refreshed Center Bar, a renovated high-limit slots room and upgrades to several restaurants.
The renovation and expansion were announced in November 2023, with construction beginning in January 2024, according to indiangaming.com. The expanded floor itself opened to the public on July 3, 2025, as reported by igaming.org. Tulalip Resort Casino operates as an enterprise of the Tulalip Tribes, which own and run the property.
Marci Fryberg, president and COO of the Tulalip Gaming Organization, said the tribes were proud of the effort behind the project. “Tulalip was proud of the work and energy invested in the project,” Fryberg said, according to igaming.org, adding that guests responded positively throughout the three-year journey.
A Seven-Ton Dome Anchors the New Center Bar
The centerpiece of the renovated gaming floor is the Center Bar, which stands 38 feet tall and incorporates a seven-ton dome, built using thousands of feet of rolled steel and aluminum, per igaming.org. The bar and surrounding lounge span 3,366 square feet and include bar-top gaming along with seating for up to 60 guests, the same source notes.
The 70,250-square-foot addition also brought a new North Bar, which serves cocktails, wine and craft beer and includes a covered outdoor patio and smoking area, according to indiangaming.com. The expansion added new north and east entrances as well — a North Entrance facing the Tulalip Amphitheatre and Seattle Premium Outlets, and an East Entrance near the property's DraftKings Sportsbook, according to a TRC expansion renovation update.
Design Pulls From Tulalip Culture and the Salish Sea
Beyond the new square footage, the casino's renovated spaces draw heavily on tribal identity. The design themes woven throughout the expansion highlight the Tulalip Tribes' culture and traditions, pulling from concepts tied to the Salish Sea, coastal shorelines and forest environments, according to 425business.com. The high-limit slots room, now 4,000 square feet, was also renovated as part of the overall project, the indiangaming.com report notes.
Swinerton Construction served as the building contractor on the project, with Rice Fergus Miller handling architecture, per the everythingtulalip.com update. That firm had previously projected the expansion would push the casino past 262,000 square feet, according to Swinerton — though later materials and reporting from focusgn.com put the completed total at 270,250 square feet.
Cost and Completion Timeline Remain Murky
Not every detail of the project lines up across available accounts. One report pegged the project's cost at $60 million, while a separate account from 425business.com stated plainly that the project's cost was not released. Similarly, while some reporting describes the broader, property-wide renovation as finished, Tulalip materials elsewhere describe a casino-wide renovation as scheduled for completion in late 2026 — addressing, as one fact sheet put it, nearly every surface of the gaming floor.
The resort itself includes a 370-room hotel, 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space, and a 3,000-seat outdoor amphitheatre, according to the original seed reporting from igaming.org. The casino's original building was constructed for $78 million in 2003 and underwent a $15 million renovation in 2016, per Swinerton's account of the property's history.
Part of a Broader Pacific Northwest Casino Push
Tulalip's expansion lands amid a wider wave of investment among Pacific Northwest tribal casinos. Washington's tribal-owned casinos, including Tulalip's, are described as thriving despite risks facing some gambling businesses more broadly, according to cdcgaming.com. Elsewhere in the state, Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel announced its own $40 million expansion plan, including a parking garage with 250 additional vehicle spaces, per Hotel Online. In Oregon, Wildhorse Resort & Casino's $100 million expansion has been reported as on track for completion in 2027, according to Yogonet International.
