Mohegan Tribal Chairman Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum blessed the first completed phase of a $740 million development project at Mohegan Sun casino and resort with a traditional smudge ceremony.
“We pray through the smoke,” he said. “We give thanks to the Creator for all that he gives us. That’s why we’re here.”
The ceremony was followed by a traditional Chinese Lion Dance to commemorate the opening of the new section of the casino, called Sunrise Square, a 12,000-square-foot renovated gaming area with 46 table games and a 4,000-square-foot Hong Kong-style food court geared toward pleasing the casino’s Asian clientele, which comprises 25 percent of its total visitors.
“In the past two years alone our Asian segments have risen some 40 percent,” said Anthony Patrone, senior vice president of marketing at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. “This is a testament to the dedicated efforts Mohegan Sun makes to tailor our offerings to our customers.”
About 50 buses from locations in Massachusetts and New York bring Asian customers to the casino every day, said Mitchell Etess, president and CEO of Mohegan Sun.
The renovated area within Casino Earth will cater to that demographic by offering a five-bay bus lobby and separate entry to get them “directly into the gaming area quicker,” he said.
The wing includes flat-screen televisions with notices of when buses are leaving and a ticket window open 24 hours per day.
Mohegan Sun also offers a fully translated Chinese Web site that it launched in April.
“It was the first fully functional Chinese Web site of all the casinos on the East Coast,” Patrone said.
This month, Foxwoods Resort Casino launched its Chinese Web site and announced an exclusive five-year agreement to simulcast horse racing events from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Gary Border, senior vice president of property marketing at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Conn., said the casino always has targeted the Asian community.
“We know that we have a strong contingent within the Asian community,” he said.
To continue growing the market segment, Foxwoods offers ethnic foods and performances by well-known Asian entertainers, in addition to a Chinese New Year celebration, all of which Mohegan Sun offers as well.
In addition to competing for an Asian clientele, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, as well as Twin River in Lincoln, are in the midst of multimillion dollar renovations and expansions, which Etess says is “somewhat coincidental and somewhat not.”
He said that although there is some one-upmanship involved – once one casino raises the bar, the others feel they must follow – it’s just as much about continuous improvement.
“We need to keep redefining our product to stay ahead of the curve,” he added.
Mohegan Sun is doing that by building a new 1,000-room hotel and accompanying House of Blues Music Hall, an additional 115,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and a new 64,000-square-foot Casino of the Wind, all of which are expected to be complete by 2010.
Foxwoods’ new 826-room hotel, its new 50,000-square-foot casino, new 4,000-seat performing arts theater, new 10,000 square feet of retail space and four new restaurants, on the other hand, are scheduled to be complete by spring next year.
Called MGM Grand at Foxwoods, the project’s total budget is $700 million.
And, though Twin River announced the 160,000-square-foot expansion portion of its $665 million renovation and expansion project was completed in March, the casino will be announcing the opening of its final renovation Sept. 12.
Asked why the casinos are pursuing the development projects at the same time, Border said, “if you look at the New England region there really are only three players. That may or may not be true in the future, but we know there is an estimated $4 billion dollars spent in the gaming industry … there’s still plenty of room to grow and there’s no reason not to try and supply a superior product.” •
