Tulalip Resort Casino finishes three-year renovation and expansion

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 14, 2026

TULALIP — Tulalip Resort Casino announced on Oct. 1 the completion of its casino expansion and renovation, adding hundreds of slot machines, a new dining option and an underwater makeover.

In July 2025, the Tulalip Tribes opened the 70,250-square-foot expansion, bumping the gaming floor to 270,250 square feet. With the expansion open to the public, renovations to the rest of the space began, according to a press release.

“By dramatically expanding the casino by 35%, guests can expect more of what they love today, and far into the future,” said Marci Fryberg, president of Tulalip Gaming Organization, in an email.

The entire project took three years, with the tribes announcing the expansion plan in November 2023 to mark the casino’s 20th anniversary. Construction began the following January.

Fryberg did not disclose the project’s cost, but said that the “combined expansion and renovation represents the most significant financial commitment to our gaming facilities since we opened in 2003.”

The expansion added 400 new slot machines, bringing the casino’s total to more than 2,600, the release said. It also added the North Bar, an outdoor covered patio and an architectural theme honoring the Tulalip Tribes’ culture and traditions.

Added design elements take inspiration from the waters of Tulalip Bay and the rivers and shorelines around the region, said Jennifer Fleming, managing partner and head of the hospitality studio at Rice Fergus Miller, the architectural firm assigned to the project.

“Just as bodies of water are layered and varied – woven through mountains, lakes, and sounds – the casino environment is shaped by a spectrum of activities, energy levels, and moments of pause,” she said in a statement. “The renovation embraces this analogy, creating a unified yet diverse gaming floor that balances excitement with intimacy.”

Weaving throughout the casino, water currents of blue lights guide guests north to south. Design themes representing the surrounding Salish Sea, coastal shorelines and forests can be seen from floor to ceiling, where the architecture replicates schools of fish and floating jellyfish.

“I think guests will find both beauty and a unique story in the design,” Fryberg said.

The blues and gray hues highlight the nearby waters and beaches while the creams and coppers represent the region’s sunsets, the release said.

Inspired by the waters of Tulalip Bay and the rivers and shorelines that shape the region.

“It touches your heart; how beautiful the designs,” Teri Gobin, the Tulalip Tribes’ chair at the time, told The Daily Herald in July 2025. “That it can be shared for future generations. Our casino out there was beautiful and gorgeous, but it was time for an upgrade too.”

The coastal infrastructure spans the rest of the casino, including the 38-foot, 7-ton Center Bar. Fish swim from the top of the re-done bar to a light display mimicking stars on the ceiling.

“From this focal point, the gaming floor radiates outward into increasingly intimate zones, echoing the transition from open water to shoreline,” Fleming said about the center bar. “Architectural elements along the perimeter draw inspiration from docks and piers, expressed through rhythmic vertical wood slats and a warm, natural color palette reminiscent of coastal waters and Pacific Northwest sunsets.”

The project also brought a renovated high-limit slots room and a gourmet ice cream shop, Salish Sweets, the release said.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan