East Coast's Premier Resort Casino Destination Closes Decade with Strong Month
Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods today reported to the Connecticut State Division of Special Revenue that slot revenue for the month of December was $44.5 million. This amount represents a minor decrease of 0.7 percent in slot win and a decrease of 4.5 percent in total slot handle as compared to December of 2008. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the casino's owner, also reported an $11.3 million payment to the State of Connecticut for December 2009. This contribution increases the total dollar amount given to the State of Connecticut to approximately $2.95 billion since January 1993, when slot machines were first introduced at Foxwoods.
"We were very happy to close out a challenging but productive 2009 with a strong month," said Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprises (MPGE) President Michael Speller. "As we look ahead to a new decade, we're excited to continue introducing innovative new amenities, programs, promotions and technologies that further enhance the Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods experience, and enable us to continue providing our loyal patrons with the very best in customer service."
Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods continued to provide customers with unparalleled service and amenities in 2009, including the introduction of the first ever branded iPhone application in the casino industry. The Foxwoods iPhone application gives patrons the opportunity to interact with the Foxwoods brand in a unique and compelling manner. The application's "resort experience" feature includes in-depth property tours, virtual visits to hotel rooms, restaurants, retail shops and spas, and enables users to book spa appointments and receive tutorials on table games that are offered at the property. The result is a virtual environment that immerses consumers in the Foxwoods experience.
On the dining front, the year also ended on a high note, with Craftsteak restaurant at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods receiving the coveted AAA Four Diamond Award. Only 3.5 percent of AAA Diamond-rated restaurants and lodgings received the 2010 Four Diamond designation. This award provided a fitting end to a year full of accolades for the resort casino. Earlier in the year, the property's most critically-acclaimed restaurant, Paragon, received the same award for the 6th consecutive year. In August, MGM Grand at Foxwoods also received the AAA Four-Diamond Award for lodging in only its second year of business. Continuing the trend in September, Foxwoods received a whopping 38 awards in the annual "Best of Gaming" reader survey in Casino Player magazine.
The stars shone brightly at Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods in 2009. The resort destination hosted a veritable Who's Who of entertainers including 16-time Grammy Award winner Sting; the legendary Stevie Wonder; world-class comedian Jerry Seinfeld; blue-eyed soul singer Van Morrison; former Commodores front man Lionel Richie; country sensation Toby Keith; and R&B bad boy R. Kelly, to name a few.
The property also hosted an array of resident performances and exhibits, including Legends In Concert, the world's longest running tribute show; Cirque Dreams, the brainchild of Broadway-bred Producer Neil Goldberg, which featured an international cast of world-class acrobats, athletes, musicians, and artists; and Bodies Revealed, the eye-opening sensation that featured real human specimens that have been meticulously dissected and preserved, and gave visitors the opportunity to view the complexity of their own organs and systems.
Other big names that made the scene at Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods in 2009 included Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg; Gossip Girl hottie Jessica Szohr; NFL greats Lawrence Taylor and Marcus Allen; Olympic champion and reality TV show star Bruce Jenner; "It" girl Lindsay Lohan and DJ to the stars Samantha Ronson; basketball luminaries Dwayne Wade, Bill Russell, Chauncey Billups, Ray Allen and Alonzo Mourning; country rock phenom Kid Rock; Playboy Playmates Brande Roderick and Jade Nicole; and Dancing with the Stars sensation Karina Smirnoff.
And 2010 will be no different as some of the biggest names in entertainment will perform at the award-winning property, with upcoming highlights including Mariah Carey (January 15 and 16); "America's Got Talent" (January 17-February 7); Larisa Dolina (January 23 and 24); Steve Winwood (February 12); B.B. King and Buddy Guy (February 14); Alice in Chains (March 6); ABC-televised "Thin Ice" (March 19 and 21); Carrie Underwood (March 20); Norah Jones (March 26); Mark Knopfler (May 1); and Jerry Seinfeld (May 7 and 8).
With an array of new and exciting promotions, amenities, and celebrity guests on tap for 2010, Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods will continue working both to satisfy their loyal customers and to attract new visitors for the next decade and beyond.
About Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods
North America's largest casino, Foxwoods Resort Casino® is located in the rolling hills of southeastern Connecticut and is easily accessible from Boston, New York, Hartford, and Providence. Owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Foxwoods features six casinos with more than 7,200 slots, 380 table games, the only WPT World Poker Room™ in New England, High Stakes Bingo, and Ultimate Race Book. There are 1,416 guest rooms and suites in three hotels, more than 30 restaurants, a luxurious spa, more than 50,000 square feet of premium meeting and event space, 24 retail shops, and five entertainment venues, including the 1,400-seat Fox Theatre. Conveniently located adjacent to Foxwoods is Lake of Isles™, featuring two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by Rees Jones and a state-of-the-art Golf Academy. In May 2008, the MGM Grand at Foxwoods® debuted, adding 825 luxurious guest rooms, 115,000 square feet of meeting space, the 4,000-seat MGM Grand Theater, a 21,000-square-foot spa, and more dining, retail, and gaming facilities, bolstering Foxwoods' preeminence as the East Coast's ultimate casino resort destination. Foxwoods supports responsible gaming, and plays a leadership role in the Connecticut Council of Problem Gambling, of which it was a founding entity. For more information, call 1-800-FOXWOODS or visit www.foxwoods.com.
About the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
The Mashantucket Pequots are a native Algonquin people in southeastern Connecticut, having endured centuries of conflict, survival, and continuity on and around one of America's oldest Indian reservations, established in 1666. As the first native people within the borders of the continental United States to suffer attempted genocidal massacre by Puritan Colonists in 1637, the Pequots and their repatriation is an unprecedented story of restoration exhibited in detail at the Tribe's world-class Museum and Research Center (www.pequotmuseum.org). Today the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation owns the largest resort casino in the world, Foxwoods Resort Casino (www.foxwoods.com), along with several other economic ventures including the Lake of Isles Golf Course (www.lakeofisles.com), a joint-venture partnership establishing the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, and Foxwoods Development Company dedicated to world-class resort development throughout the United States and Caribbean. All together, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation remains one of the State of Connecticut's highest tax payers and largest employers. Likewise, the Tribe provides significant financial contributions to state and local nonprofit organizations that support neighboring communities.
Contacts:
Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprises
Lori Potter, 860-312-4010
Public
Relations Department
LPotter@foxwoods.com
or
Elevate
Communications
Keith Gainsboro, 617-861-3650
kgainsboro@elevatecom.com