Mohegan Sun
| Mohegan Sun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard Uncasville, Connecticut 06382-1355 |
| Opening date | October 12, 1996 |
| Theme | Native American |
| No. of rooms | 1,356 |
| Total gaming space | 300,000 sq ft (30,000 m2). |
| Permanent shows | Connecticut Sun during WNBA season |
| Signature attractions | Mohegan Sun Arena Connecticut Sun The Wolf 104.7FM Radio Station |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority |
| Previous names | none |
| Renovated in | 2001 2002 |
| Website | Mohegan Sun |
Mohegan Sun is a resort and casino located in Uncasville, Connecticut and is the world's second largest casino.[1] It is located on 240 acres (1.0 km2) 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 Mohegan Sun Arena, home of the state's only major-league professional sports team, the Women's National Basketball Association's Connecticut Sun, and is the home of New London's WMOS FM radio station.
The casino contains 6,200 slot machines, 300 gaming tables including 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.
The three entertainment venues are the Mohegan Sun Arena, the 350-seat Cabaret Theatre, and the 300-seat Wolf Den. Additionally, there is 100,000 sq ft (10,000 m2) of meeting and function room space, including the Northeast’s largest ballroom[2] and 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m2) of retail shopping.
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 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 of 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.[3]
The casino and resort first opened on October 12, 1996.[4] 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.[5]
Expansion
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.[6] 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.
In November 2006, the tribe announced a $740 million expansion titled Project Horizon. The project will be completed in 2010, with phases of the expansion being completed prior to that. The expansion will add the "Casino of the Wind," which will feature 964 slot machines, 10 table games, and 45 House of Blues poker tables. It will also add 1,000 new hotel rooms, including 300 House of Blues themed rooms complete with its own separate lobby.[7]
On August 2, 2007, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority purchased 150 acres (0.6 km2) of land in the town of Palmer, Massachusetts, 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.[8] 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 region of the state.[9] The proposal is expected to meet opposition in the legislature. If the plan is passed, it would allow Mohegan Sun the opportunity to expand into Massachusetts.
Features
- The Casino of the Sky has a functional planetarium 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 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 55 ft 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.
References
- ^ "Tribes Making Inroads in Sports Industry". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ Inside Norwich Trip Advisor Retrieved on December 14, 2007
- ^ History of Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority Reference for Business Retrieved on 8 December, 2007
- ^ "Felt Jungle". Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ Waterford Gaming - Amended And Restated Omnibus Termination Agreement Socratek Retrieved on November 21, 2007
- ^ Mohegan Sun Reports Mixed Results Casino City Times Retrieved on 22 November, 2007
- ^ Mohegan Sun Announces Project Horizon Indian Country Retrieved on December 15, 2007
- ^ Mohegan Tribe May Join Competition Casino City Times Retrieved on December 19, 2007
- ^ Massachusetts to Consider Three Casinos for the State New York Times Retrieved on 19 December, 2007