"The tribe is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Foxwoods Resort Casino today, a remarkable achievement that has significantly changed the landscape of Eastern Connecticut, and mostly for the better. There certainly have been a few bumps along the road — the social issues associated with gambling are at the top of that list — but overall, there are far more positives than anything else.

For those of us who remember that February day in 1992 when Foxwoods first opened its doors, there truly was a wonder of it all, and a great uncertainty of what it would mean for our region.

Twenty years ago, our regional economy was in a tailspin. The Cold War had ended, and defense spending was being slashed. Electric Boat, then the region’s largest employer, was cutting its workforce by a more than half. An economic report on the future of Eastern Connecticut released at that time used the word “Appalachian” in the opening executive summary.

The future was not looking very promising."

Get the Story:
Our View: Casino changed regional economy (The Norwich Bulletin 2/15)

Another Opinion:
Editorial: 20 years on, new challenges for Foxwoods (The New London Day 2/15)

Also Today:
Foxwoods marking 20th anniversary today (The Norwich Bulletin 2/15)
Foxwoods To Announce Construction Of 85-Store Outlet Mall, Rebranding Campaign (The Hartford Courant 2/15)
Mohegan extends deadline on bond swap as tenders fall short (Bloomberg News 2/15)