Is Japan the next gaming frontier? The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe are looking to the Land of the Rising Sun in hopes of tapping into opportunities there.
The Mohegans made a pitch for a casino during the Japan Gaming Congress last week, according to news reports. The tribally-owned Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment was even one of the sponsors of the event. Not to be left out, a top Mashantucket gaming executive was at the conference too. And the tribe has sent leaders and officials to Japan in recent years, The New London Day reported. “Probably every major gaming operation in the world, including us and Mohegan Sun, was there,” Felix Rappaport, the president and chief executive officer of Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, told The Day. According to The Motley Fool, Japan is poised to enact a gaming bill that will offer licenses for three casinos. Non-Indian firms, including one that has been at war with the Mashantuckets and the Mohegans, are said to be interested in competing in the market. The Mohegans have already entered the Asian market. The tribe plans to break ground on a $5 billion gaming resort in South Korea later this year. The tribe operates the Mohegan Sun on its reservation in Connecticut. Foxwoods is less than 10 miles away. Read More on the Story: