Mohegan Sun
Encyclopedia
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut
, is the second largest casino
in the United States with 364000 sq ft (33,816.7 m²) of gaming space. It is located on 240 acre (97.1 ha) along the banks of the Thames River
. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism
is concentrated. It features the 12,000-seat capacity Mohegan Sun Arena
, home of the Women's National Basketball Association
's Connecticut Sun
. It houses a 350-seat Cabaret Theatre, the 300-seat Wolf Den, and 100000 sq ft (9,290.3 m²) of meeting and function room space, including the Northeast’s largest ballroom and 130000 sq ft (12,077.4 m²) of retail shopping. It is the home of New London's
WMOS
FM radio station.
The casino contains slot machine
s, gaming tables including poker
, blackjack
, craps
, roulette
, 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
.
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. 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) 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; TCA still receives a 5% dividend on the gross revenue generated by Mohegan Sun until 2014.
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 in approximately 12 months. In 2010, the tribe had a $58.1 million impairment
charge which halted any work on the project. Project Horizon has since been terminated.
In May 2011, the Mohegan Sun announced that the casino would be expanding by building a new 300 to 500 room hotel. The expansion is to accommodate the growing demand of hotel rooms at the casino. The official size of new hotel and the time-line of its construction will not be known until the Mohegans sign a deal with the developer. The third-party developer will construct and own the new facility, unlike the existing hotel which is owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority.
, Pennsylvania
from Penn National Gaming
. Mohegan Sun renamed the property "Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs" and began a major expansion. Operation as the first slots casino in the state of Pennsylvania commenced in November 2006.
, a town in eastern Hampden County
, with about 12,000 residents. The land is directly off of exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike. At the present time, they have plans to build a retail center. It is unknown if a casino or any type of gaming will occur or be allowed to occur. A month later on September 17, 2007, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
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
have passed legislation to allow casinos in the state, but governor Patrick has refused to sign the legislation due to his objections to allowing slot machines at race tracks. Prospects for legalizing casinos in the state appear to be on hold until after the next legislative session begins in January 2011. In June 2011, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo
said that a bill to legalize casinos could be taken up by state legislators in July pending the outcome of talks with governor Patrick.
. The casino will takeover the Concord Resort development in the town of Thompson, New York
. The New York casino will consist of a 258 room hotel, a 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) 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 10000 square feet (929 m²) of ballrooms and meeting space.
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
, is the second largest casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
in the United States with 364000 sq ft (33,816.7 m²) of gaming space. It is located on 240 acre (97.1 ha) along the banks of the Thames River
Thames River (Connecticut)
The Thames River is a short river and tidal estuary in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It flows south for through eastern Connecticut from the junction of the Yantic and Shetucket rivers at Norwich, to New London and Groton, which flank its mouth at the Long Island Sound.Differing from its...
. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is concentrated. It features the 12,000-seat capacity Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena
The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut located inside Mohegan Sun. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span...
, home of the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
's Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
. It houses a 350-seat Cabaret Theatre, the 300-seat Wolf Den, and 100000 sq ft (9,290.3 m²) of meeting and function room space, including the Northeast’s largest ballroom and 130000 sq ft (12,077.4 m²) of retail shopping. It is the home of New London's
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
WMOS
WMOS
WMOS is a classic rock radio station that targets the Connecticut shoreline even though it is licensed to Stonington, Connecticut. It broadcasts at 102.3 MHz with 3 kilowatts ERP from a tower located in Stonington. The station is owned and operated by Cumulus Media and is "powered by Mohegan...
FM radio station.
The casino contains slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s, gaming tables including poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
, craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
, roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
, Caribbean stud poker
Caribbean stud poker
Caribbean Stud poker is a casino table game with rules similar to five-card stud poker. However, unlike standard poker games, Caribbean stud is played against the house rather than against other players...
, keno
Keno
Keno is a lottery or bingo gambling game often played at modern casinos, and is also offered as a game in some state lotteries. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a "bubble" containing 80 balls which determine the ball draw result. Each ball is imprinted...
and baccarat
Baccarat
Baccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...
. The race book
Sportsbook
In the United States a sportsbook or a race and sports book is a place where a gambler can wager on various sports competitions, including golf, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, horse racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts. The method of betting varies with the sport and the type of...
offers live horse or greyhound racing from around the U.S. as well as from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It also offers wagering on jai-alai from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
History
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 MoheganMohegan
The Mohegan tribe is an Algonquian-speaking tribe that lives in the eastern upper Thames River valley of Connecticut. Mohegan translates to "People of the Wolf". At the time of European contact, the Mohegan and Pequot were one people, historically living in the lower Connecticut region...
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. Sol Kerzner
Sol Kerzner
Solomon Kerzner is a South African accountant and business magnate.-Background and career:Kerzner was born in Troyeville, Johannesburg, the youngest of four children to Jewish Russian immigrants...
, 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) 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; TCA still receives a 5% dividend on the gross revenue generated by Mohegan Sun until 2014.
Features
- The Casino of the Sky has a functional planetariumPlanetariumA planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
utilizing fiber optics to display the sun, moon, and stars accompanying the lighting effects of the Wombi Rock, which is a three-story high crystal mountain crafted of alabasterAlabasterAlabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
and more than 12,000 individual plates of hand-selected onyxOnyxOnyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
from quarries in IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
; which were transported to Carrara, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and fused into glass. - A 55 ft (16.8 m) high indoor waterfall called "Taughannick Falls", representing a treacherous crossing point during the tribe's migrationHuman migrationHuman migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
. - 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.
- A new buffet called the Seasons Buffet replaced both the Seasons and Sunburst Buffet.
Economic impact
Mohegan Sun employs some 10,000 local employees, with about 40% female and 60% male, and brought in $1.62 billion in revenues in 2007. 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.Local
In November 2006, the tribe announced a $740 million expansion titled Project Horizon. The project was originally scheduled 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 will also add 1,000 new hotel rooms, including 300 House of BluesHouse of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
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 in approximately 12 months. In 2010, the tribe had a $58.1 million impairment
Revaluation of fixed assets
In finance, a revaluation of fixed assets is a technique that may be required to accurately describe the true value of the capital goods a business owns...
charge which halted any work on the project. Project Horizon has since been terminated.
In May 2011, the Mohegan Sun announced that the casino would be expanding by building a new 300 to 500 room hotel. The expansion is to accommodate the growing demand of hotel rooms at the casino. The official size of new hotel and the time-line of its construction will not be known until the Mohegans sign a deal with the developer. The third-party developer will construct and own the new facility, unlike the existing hotel which is owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority.
Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
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 TownshipPlains Township, Pennsylvania
Plains Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania in the greater metropolitan area of the city of Wilkes-Barre. The population was 10,906 at the 2000 census. Plains Township is the location of Pennsylvania's first casino, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
from Penn National Gaming
Penn National Gaming
Penn National Gaming, Inc. is a diversified owner and operator of casino properties, as well as horse racetracks and associated off-track betting facilities primarily in the United States...
. Mohegan Sun renamed the property "Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs" 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 Tribal Gaming Authority purchased 150 acre (60.7 ha) of land in the town of Palmer, MassachusettsPalmer, Massachusetts
The Town of Palmer is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,140 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, a town in eastern Hampden County
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
, with about 12,000 residents. The land is directly off of exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike. At the present time, they have plans to build a retail center. It is unknown if a casino or any type of gaming will occur or be allowed to occur. A month later on September 17, 2007, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
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
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
and Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
have passed legislation to allow casinos in the state, but governor Patrick has refused to sign the legislation due to his objections to allowing slot machines at race tracks. Prospects for legalizing casinos in the state appear to be on hold until after the next legislative session begins in January 2011. In June 2011, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo
Robert DeLeo (politician)
Robert A. DeLeo is an American politician from the state of Massachusetts. He is the father of two children, Robbie and Rachele....
said that a bill to legalize casinos could be taken up by state legislators in July pending the outcome of talks with governor Patrick.
New York
In May 2011, Mohegan Sun announced plans to expand into New York with a casino in the CatskillsCatskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
. The casino will takeover the Concord Resort development in the town of Thompson, New York
Thompson, New York
Thompson is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 14,189 at the 2000 census. The town is named after William Thompson, an early settler.The Town of Thompson is in the southeast part of the county....
. The New York casino will consist of a 258 room hotel, a 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) 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 10000 square feet (929 m²) of ballrooms and meeting space.
See also
- Foxwoods Resort CasinoFoxwoods Resort CasinoFoxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel-casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, it is one of the largest casino complexes in the world in terms of floor space for gaming. The entire resort comprises of space. The casino has over 380 gaming tables...
- Connecticut's other casino. - Indian gaming
- List of casinos
- Native American gambling enterprisesNative American gambling enterprisesNative American gaming enterprises are gaming businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land in the United States. Indian tribes have limited sovereignty over these businesses and therefore are granted the ability to establish gambling enterprises outside of direct state...