It was something of an arms race between Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun , as expansion at one property led to another at the competing property .
And even now , with fierce and abundant competition , the building goes on . Last summer during Foxwoods ’ 30th anniversary , officials announced an $ 85 million expansion project that they call the “ next-generation casino .” It includes :
• 50,000 square feet of gaming space to include both table games and slot machines
• A 13,000-square-foot celebrity chef branded restaurant to be revealed later this year
• New high-limit slot area
• An expansive 40-seat bar featuring over 35 slot machines
• New Grand Pequot Cage that will support both casinos
• A new 15-seat public bar While this is modest compared to previous expansions , which included hotel towers and separate boutique hotels , meeting space , a zip line attraction , an outlet mall and many other amenities , it shows Foxwoods ’ management understands that it must keep up with the new competition to maintain their market share .
And that ’ s not all . In February , Foxwoods broke ground on a $ 300 million Great Wolf Lodge , an indoor-outdoor waterpark with families as the primary target market . The partnership , similar to its deal with the Tanger Outlets , will expand the attractions that today reach far beyond gaming .
“ For us at Mashantucket , it ’ s always been a vision of ours to have a resort beyond gaming , and councils long before any of us who are standing here today were dreaming about having an indoor waterpark here ,” said Rodney Butler , chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation .
The facility will include over 550 family-friendly rooms , a 91,000-squarefoot waterpark and a 60,000-square-foot dry entertainment center with things like a ropes course , mini bowling , restaurants and an arcade , and is expected to bring more than 500 jobs to the region .
The Aquadome is a fully enclosed glass atrium that allows natural daylight to illuminate the space during the day with a nightclub and concert light show atmosphere at night . The space features two separate pools , including a 21 + VIP pool and a family pool .
Loaded Gun
The Gun Lake Casino was just a glimmer in the eye of Michigan ’ s Match-E- Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians , better known as the Gun Lake Tribe , when the Mashantucket Pequots opened Foxwoods in the early 1990s . In fact , at that time , the Gun Lake Tribe had only just applied for federal recognition , often a long and drawn-out process . But the tribe had all the required history and could back it up , so five years later , it achieved recognition and began the equally arduous process of taking land into trust for a reservation .
Five years after that , the process was concluded and the tribe hired Station Casinos to build and operate the Gun Lake Casino , which opened in 2011 , ushering in a new era of economic prosperity . Station built a serviceable casino for the tribe but it quickly realized something larger would be necessary , and the first expansion was under way . Now in phase five of its expansion project , led by current President and CEO Sal Semola , who was hired following the
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