The state of Connecticut installed electronic signs to warn travelers to two of the world’s largest casinos about COVID-19 as the casinos partially reopened to the general public on June 1 over the governor’s objections.
Four portable signs installed by the state Department of Transportation near Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun flashed “Avoid Large Crowds, Don’t Gamble With COVID” as cars – many with Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York license plates – passed by.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont had asked the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, owners of the Foxwoods Resort Casino, and the Mohegan Tribe, owners of Mohegan Sun, to delay their reopenings, to no avail.
Both casinos have been hit hard economically by the pandemic.
“We tried to put some good, strong advice in place as people are on their way to taking a gamble,” said Lamont, who acknowledged he “wasn’t happy” about the tribes’ decision to push ahead with their partial reopening plans.
Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, conceded the signs were “kind of catchy” and credited Lamont with not taking stronger action. At one point, the governor, who has limited power when it comes to sovereign nations, suggested pulling the casinos’ liquor licenses.
“All in, when you think about everything that we were talking about, between he and I and the Mohegans, I think he really did a great job in managing the situation, all thaings considered. There was a lot of pressure for him to do things that were a little bit more aggressive,” said Butler.
He said he believes Lamont “got comfortable” with the safety steps the tribes were taking after having his commissioners walk through the properties and hearing from state legislators, who also received tours.
Butler said the tribes implemented some of the recommendations made by Lamont’s team, including more signs warning people 65 years and older, and patrons with preexisting conditions, of the dangers of the coronavirus. Foxwoods also swapped out two remote indoor smoking areas with an outdoor space.
Chef Bruiser was one of about 1,000 people who arrived at Foxwoods by midday on June 1. He left his home in New Jersey at 7 a.m. to visit both casinos. He was one of the first people to enter Mohegan Sun when the doors opened to the public at 9 a.m. After spending about an hour-and-a-half there, he tried his hand at Foxwoods. He saw the state’s signs but wasn’t fazed by the warnings.
“I’m not worried because I’m doing social distancing,” he said. “The secret is boost your immune system.”
Jeffrey Bowen, a real estate broker from Chelsea, Mass., was among the first patrons to walk through the doors at 9 a.m. at Foxwoods. Bowen, who owns another home near the casino, also downplayed the state’s warnings.
