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Mohegan Sun is an American casino, owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe on of their
reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...
, along the banks of the Thames River in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has of gambling space. It is in the foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is concentrated. It features the 12,000-seat capacity
Mohegan Sun Arena The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span. It was built by the Perini Buil ...
, home of the Women's National Basketball Association's Connecticut Sun. It houses a 350-seat Cabaret Theatre, the 300-seat Wolf Den, and of meeting and function room space, including the Northeast’s largest ballroom and of retail shopping. It is also where the studio of
WMOS WMOS (102.3 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.3 The Wolf") is a classic rock radio station that targets the Connecticut and Rhode Island coastlines from New London, Connecticut, to South Kingstown, Rhode Island (according to Radio-Locator) and it is lic ...
is located. The casino contains slot machines, gaming tables including
poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
,
blackjack Blackjack (formerly Black Jack and Vingt-Un) is a casino banking game. The most widely played casino banking game in the world, it uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This fami ...
, craps,
roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...
, Caribbean stud poker, keno and baccarat. The race book offers live horse or greyhound racing from around the U.S. as well as from Australia and England. It also offers wagering on jai-alai from Florida. The economic recession that began in 2007 took a heavy toll on receipts. By 2012, both the Mohegan Sun and nearby competitor Foxwoods Resort Casino (owned by the Mashantucket Pequot) were deeply in debt. At the end of the 2018 fiscal year, Mohegan Sun's net revenue was $1.07 billion.


History


Development and construction

The development of the Mohegan Sun began in 1992 with RJH Development and LMW Investments of Connecticut, and Slavik Suites Inc. proposed the idea of developing a casino with the Mohegan tribe. The three companies formed Trading Cove Associates (TCA), which provided the Mohegans with financial support, tribal attorneys, and advisers to assist in the tribe's effort to gain official recognition as a people. In March 1994 they gained federal recognition as a sovereign people, opening the way to develop a casino. The land, formerly used by United Nuclear Corporation building nuclear reactors for submarines, was decommissioned and cleaned up. Sol Kerzner, head of Kerzner International (formerly Sun International), became involved with a 50 percent interest in TCA. Waterford Gaming had the other 50 percent interest in TCA. The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA) (renamed Mohegan in 2022) hired TCA to oversee development and construction of the casino. The casino and resort first opened on October 12, 1996. In 2000, Trading Cove Associates gave complete control of the resort to the Mohegan tribe, although under the terms of the agreement TCA continued to receive a 5% dividend on the gross revenue generated by Mohegan Sun until 2014.


Attempted unionization

In 2012, Mohegan Sun table games dealers attempted to unionize through an affiliation with United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents dealers at Foxwoods Resort Casino. While the Mohegan
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
Chuck Bunnell later stated that tribal law allowed and created regulations for
organizing Organizing or organized may refer to: * Organizing (management), a process of coordinating task goals and activities to resources * Community organizing, in which communities come together to act in their shared self-interest * Professional organi ...
, the UAW Region 9A Director sent a letter to eastern Connecticut elected officials, detailing efforts to unionize and asking for a signed letter of support. Shortly after, a letter was sent out by Mohegan Sun Connecticut President and
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
Jeff Hartmann and Mohegan Tribal Chairman Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum, telling employees that unions were not in their best interest, and a union would violate trust with management. The effort did not amount to unionization, with the international representative of the UAW, Karen Rosenberg, later stating, "The Mohegan Sun discouraged them from unionization and was successful."


COVID-19 closure and re-opening

Mohegan Sun closed for the first time since its opening in 1996 on March 17, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods were major sources of the rise in unemployment in Connecticut during the pandemic, due to thousands of employees being
furlough A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...
ed or
laid off A layoff or downsizing is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or, more commonly, a group of employees (collective layoff) for business reasons, such as personnel management or downsizing (reducing the ...
. Although June 1, 2020, was set as a reopening date for both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, Governor Ned Lamont expressed concern that the nation's halting progress in fighting the pandemic did not yet warrant such freedoms from mitigation as take place in bars and casinos and discouraged the tribes from reopening the venues. Both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods had limited re-openings on June 1, 2020. In response, the state had electric signage put on the roadways leading to the casinos, discouraging people from going.


Features

*The Casino of the Sky has a
planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...
-like domed ceiling utilizing
fiber optics An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to ...
to display the sun, moon, and stars (though not in actual star patterns), accompanying the lighting effects of the Wombi Rock, which is a three-story high crystal mountain crafted of alabaster and more than 12,000 individual plates of hand-selected onyx from quarries in Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico which were transported to Carrara, Italy and fused into glass. * A high indoor waterfall called "Taughannick Falls," representing a treacherous crossing point during the tribe's migration. * The decor is Native American in style in many aspects. The artwork throughout the casino and the structural design has Native American feel. In addition, several mechanical wolves stand high atop rock structures inside the gaming areas that occasionally sit back and howl lightly. In many ways it reflects the four seasons: (Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall) The casino uses a tribal theme for its playing cards. Each suit represents a 20th-century Native American as well as one of the four seasons. * A new buffet called the Seasons Buffet replaced both the Seasons and Sunburst Buffet. * In the Fall of 2014, Mohegan Sun exclusively partnered with Blade to provide helicopter transportation between Manhattan and the Uncasville, CT casino. * Comix Comedy Club relocated from Foxwoods to Mohegan Sun in late Summer of 2015. *
The Earth Tower Earth Tower is a 400-room, tower located at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. History In 1995, Mohegan Sun asked Kohn Pedersen Fox, an architectural firm, to design a new hotel based on the 1,200-room Sky Tower, which was als ...
, officially opened on November 18, 2016, is a 400-room, 242,000 square-foot hotel tower. * The Earth Expo & Convention Center officially opened May 2018. Featuring 15 meeting rooms including an Executive Boardroom and world – class service, technology and amenities, the Earth Expo & Convention Center provides the perfect venue for corporate and association trade shows. The full expansion accounts for 250,000 total square feet, which includes the 125,000 square – foot column free Earth Expo Center and 20,000 square – foot Earth Ballroom, both of which feature ample pre – function space right outside their doors.


Gaming

The gaming floor has 6,500 slot machines, 377 table games as well as a racebook. The table games at Mohegan Sun range from 116 blackjack tables, craps, roulette, baccarat, and 3-card poker. They also offer video game blackjack, craps, and roulette.


Economic impact

Mohegan Sun employs around 8,000 local employees, bringing in $1.07 billion in revenues in 2018. Concerts and boxing events bring further temporary employment and revenues. The casino also submits about 25% of its revenues from slot machines to the State of Connecticut. However, this impact has not been without costs to the tribe and local communities. The Mohegan Tribe is $1.6 billion in debt while local communities have complained about increased local costs for services associated with casino-related traffic, crime and social welfare service demands.


Expansion


Local

In November 2006, the tribe announced a $740 million expansion titled Project Horizon. The project was originally scheduled to be completed in 2010, with phases of the expansion being completed prior to that. The expansion included the "Casino of the Wind," which opened in August 2008 and features 650 slot machines, 28 table games, and 42-table poker room. It would have also added 1,000 new hotel rooms, including 300 House of Blues themed rooms, accessible through a separate lobby. However, in September 2008, Mohegan Sun placed the Project Horizon expansion on hold, due to the economic recession affecting the regional gaming markets. The feasibility of the expansion would be reevaluated within a year. However, in 2010, the tribe had a $58.1 million impairment charge which halted any work on the project. Project Horizon was eventually terminated. In May 2011, Mohegan Sun announced that the casino would be expanded by building a new 300- to 500-room hotel. The expansion would accommodate the growing demand of hotel rooms at the casino. The Mohegans would let a third-party developer construct and own the new facility, unlike the existing hotel which is owned and operated by the Mohegan holding company. However, ground was never broken on the project. Expansion plans were once again announced on June 24, 2013, for a $50 million, 200,000-square foot "Downtown District," to be built next to the Uncasville casino's Winter Garage, featuring a New England-themed food pavilion; a 14-screen Marquee Cinemas multiplex; an upscale bowling-and-dining facility; and a promenade of retail shops whose tenants will include Coach, Tiffany, Sephora, Tommy Bahama, Puma and others. On July 28, 2014, Mohegan Sun announced it expected to break ground by the end of the year on a $110 million, 400-room hotel at Mohegan Sun. The hotel would be financed and built by a third-party developer and then leased back to Mohegan Sun to operate. Construction was due to start by the end of the year and be opened 18–20 months afterward. It also reported plans to add a $50 million nongaming “Downtown District” addition to the casino were advancing. The project would be owned and operated by the developers. On November 18, 2016, Mohegan Sun opened
The Earth Tower Earth Tower is a 400-room, tower located at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. History In 1995, Mohegan Sun asked Kohn Pedersen Fox, an architectural firm, to design a new hotel based on the 1,200-room Sky Tower, which was als ...
, a $139 million hotel which was the second at Mohegan Sun. The 400-room, 242,000 square foot hotel would be connected to the Casino of the Earth.


Mohegan Pennsylvania

On January 25, 2005, Mohegan Sun acquired its first gaming venture outside of Connecticut with its $280 million purchase of the Pocono Downs Racetrack in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, from Penn National Gaming. Mohegan Sun renamed the property "Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs" (later Mohegan Sun Pocono and now Mohegan Pennsylvania) and began a major expansion. Operation as the first slots casino in the state of Pennsylvania commenced in November 2006.


Plans for Mohegan Sun, Massachusetts

On August 2, 2007, the Mohegan operating company purchased of land in the town of
Palmer, Massachusetts Palmer is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,448 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Palmer adopted a home rule charter in 2004 with a counci ...
, a town in eastern Hampden County, with about 12,000 residents. The land is directly off exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike. At the time, they had plans to build a retail center and it was unknown if a casino or any type of gaming would be allowed to occur. A month later on September 17, 2007, Massachusetts Governor
Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was first elected in 2006, succeeding Mitt Romney, who ...
unveiled a proposal to license three full-scale casinos in the state in a bidding process. The locations would be in the western, southeastern, and Boston area of the state. Both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
passed legislation to allow casinos in the state, but Governor Patrick refused to sign the legislation due to his objections to allowing slot machines at race tracks. Prospects for legalizing casinos in the state were on hold until after the next legislative session began in January 2011. In June 2011, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said that a bill to legalize casinos would be taken up by state legislators in July pending the outcome of talks with Governor Patrick. In November 2011, Patrick signed the bill allowing three full-scale casinos and one slot machine parlor in the state. The Palmer casino plans were put in limbo after voters rejected the proposal for a $1 billion casino by a 93-vote margin. A recount of the 5221 votes cast on November 26, 2013, affirmed the rejection by an additional vote resulting in a 94-vote margin. The Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce endorsed the destination resort project and the economic benefits for the region. Mohegan Sun is also competing for a license to develop and operate a casino resort near Boston at the
Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to crea ...
racetrack. The plans called for about 4,000 slot machines, 100 table games, and a poker room on a 42-acre piece of land in the
Revere Revere may refer to: Brands and companies *Revere Ware, a U.S. cookware brand owned by World Kitchen * Revere Camera Company, American designer of cameras and tape recorders *Revere Copper Company * ReVere, a car company recognised by the Classic ...
-side of the property. A referendum in Revere to approve a revised host community agreement for the proposal was passed on February 25, 2014, after the first proposed agreement for a plan that straddled the border of two communities was rejected by one—East Boston—and approved by the other—Revere. A deal was then made with Boston Mayor Martin Walsh to pay $75 million in capital improvements to East Boston and Boston and $18 million a year in payments to the city should Mohegan get the license. The final outcome depends on firstly, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission decision on September 12, 2014, for which site—Mohegan Sun, Revere or Wynn Resorts, Everett—will be issued a license, and secondly, a statewide referendum on the November 2014 ballot attempting to overturn the 2011 law allowing casino gambling in Massachusetts.


New York

In May 2011, Mohegan Sun announced plans to expand into New York with a casino in the Catskills. The casino would have taken over the Concord Resort development in the town of
Thompson, New York Thompson is a town in the southern part of Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 16,550 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report Thompson, Sullivan County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts ...
. The New York casino would consist of a 258-room hotel, a casino with 2,100 video lottery terminals and up to 450 electronic table game positions, five restaurants, retail space, harness race track, grandstand and simulcast and of ballrooms and meeting space. The deal for this casino, however, fell through when the New York Gaming Commission picked other locations.


Atlantic City

In August 2012, the tribe announced an agreement to take over management of the Resorts Casino Hotel in
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
.


Canada

On June 11, 2019, the Mohegan tribe also took over management of the Casino Niagara and
Fallsview Casino The Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort (commonly known as ''Fallsview Casino'') is a resort casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It opened publicly on June 10, 2004. The $1 billion complex overlooks the Horseshoe Falls and is one of the most ...
casinos in Niagara Falls, Ontario.


South Korea

In May 2018, the tribe announced an agreement to buy out its international development partner in building a 1,350-room hotel casino at Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea. The tribe reported a plan to spend $100 million on the project in 2018. In December 2018, the tribe signed an agreement with
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
to build the world's first Paramount-branded theme park in Inspire Integrated Resort.


In popular culture

Mohegan Sun, as well as Mohegan Sun Pocono, were featured in a 2014 episode of '' Undercover Boss'', in which then chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum, was featured as the boss of episode, working at the casinos in disguise. The climax of the 2019 film '' Uncut Gems'' is both set at, and was filmed on location at, Mohegan Sun. The music video for
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
's single " Monopoly" was filmed at Mohegan Sun. Shot during Grande's passage by Uncasville, Connecticut, in the hours leading up to a Sweetener World Tour concert scheduled that night. The video has amassed over 50 million views on YouTube.


See also

*
Gambling in Connecticut Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of Connecticut include two Indian casinos (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun), parimutuel wagering, charitable gaming, the Connecticut Lottery, and sports betting. Casinos Connecticut has two Indian casinos, Fox ...
* List of casinos in the United States * Native American gaming


References


External links


Official websiteMohegan Tribal Gaming AuthorityMohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Racetrack & SlotsKerzner InternationalHirsch Bedner Associates
{{Coord, 41, 29, 32, N, 72, 5, 29, W, type:landmark, display=title 1996 establishments in Connecticut Casinos in Connecticut Resorts in Connecticut Skyscraper hotels in Connecticut Buildings and structures completed in 1996 Casinos completed in 1996 Hotel buildings completed in 1996 Native American casinos Kohn Pedersen Fox buildings Tourist attractions in New London County, Connecticut Buildings and structures in New London County, Connecticut Skyscrapers in Connecticut Montville, Connecticut Casino hotels Mohegan Native American history of Connecticut