Casino News from http://business.bostonherald.com/
A new hotel sky-rise will likely be a centerpiece of Mohegan Sun’s next big expansion, the casino’s top executive has told the Herald.
The flush Connecticut tribal casino, now one of the largest in the world, has been quietly plotting its next big move.
But Mitchell Etess, president and chief executive of Mohegan Sun, said the demand is there for an additional hotel high-rise. The casino is drawing up a master plan for its long-term growth, and has hired architects to help sketch out the possibilities.
Etess hinted that an announcement on the casino’s future expansion may not be that far off, with the giant gambling complex steadily shifting toward a more resort-like atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Mohegan Sun continues to add to its lineup of amenities, which already includes everything from clubs and eateries to a convention hall.
The casino just bought a private golf course and country club in a nearby town and is also opening up a private gambling parlor for high-rollers who like to bet seven figures.
“It does show you how big-time they have become now,” said the Rev. Richard McGowan, a Boston College professor and gaming industry expert.
Still, Mohegan’s next expansion has been widely anticipated since rival Foxwoods, Connecticut’s other giant tribal casino, rolled out big growth plans of its own last year.
That $700 million project includes golf courses, a museum and hundreds of hotel rooms.
Both casinos are also expanding nationally, investing in other commercial and tribal gambling projects across the country.
The competition between the two casinos, and their efforts to match each other’s expansion, was compared to a “chess game” by Patrick Moscaritolo, head of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“One expands and the other tries to trump it,” he noted.
Mohegan completed its last big expansion just a few years ago, with its $1.1 billion “Project Sunburst.”
That featured a 1,200-room hotel tower, a sizeable convention center, 30 new shops, a 10,000-seat arena and additional gambling space.
|
|
World Casino Directory 
Gambling Forums 
