Tribes in Connecticut turn their sights towards Massachusetts

Wednesday, November 16, 2011  

Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes are facing some big competition now that Massachusetts will be home to three casino resorts.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe have enjoyed near exclusivity in the New England gaming market for more than a decade. Both are now turning their sights towards Massachusetts although each tribe is taking a different strategy.

The Pequots are going to improve their operations, an executive said. "The onslaught of competition is likely to make us a different kind of business," Scott C. Butera, the president and chief executive officer at Foxwoods Resort Casino, said at the New England Gaming Summit on Tuesday, The New London Day reported.

"We'll have to be smarter, more innovative product, service and facility marketers, and we'll have to be much more efficient when it comes to delivery and execution," Butera said, according to the paper.

The Mohegans, on the other hand, are jumping into the battle. The tribe plans to bid on a casino license in western Massachusetts.

"We congratulate the legislature …. on delivering expanded gaming legislation that establishes a strong framework and that will enable the industry to deliver jobs and economic development," Mitchell Etess, the chief executive of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said in a statement.

Both tribes have already seen revenues drop in recent years due to the national recession. For October, the Pequots saw a 11.2 percent decline in slot machine revenues while the Mohegans saw a 2.5 percent drop.

Get the Story:
Massachusetts Approves Casino Gambling; Mohegan Sun Pushing For License (The Hartford Courant 11/16)
Gaming likely to expand in New England, experts say (The New London Day 11/16)
Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun slot revenue takes hit from October storm (The Norwich Bulletin 11/16)
Snowstorm sent slot revenues adrift (The New London Day 11/16)
Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun differ on Massachusetts (The Norwich Bulletin 11/15)

Related Stories:
Final vote planned for gaming legislation in Massachusetts (11/15)