Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods Report September Slot Results

• Press Release
• Source: Foxwoods Resort Casino
• On 12:13 pm EDT, Thursday October 15, 2009

MASHANTUCKET, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods today reported to the Connecticut State Division of Special Revenue that, for the month of September, slot revenue was $54.8 million. This amount represents a slight decrease of 2.8 percent in slot win and a decrease of 10.2 percent in total slot handle as compared to September of 2008. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the casino’s owner, also reported a $14.3 million dollar payment to the State of Connecticut for September 2009. This contribution increases the total dollar amount given to the State of Connecticut to approximately $2.93 billion since January 1993, when slot machines were first introduced at Foxwoods.

“These results represent our best month in market share since May, and demonstrate that our signature Foxwoods Five Star Service™ and award-winning gaming options continue to resonate with our guests,” said Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprises (MPGE) President Michael Speller. “Our unrelenting focus on customer service, great amenities, outstanding entertainment and luxurious accommodations give visitors more reasons than ever before to keep coming back to both Foxwoods and the MGM Grand at Foxwoods.”

It has been consecutive months of accolades for Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods. In August, MGM Grand at Foxwoods received the prestigious AAA-Four Diamond Award. This coveted award is a designation given to only three percent of hotels rated by AAA inspectors, and to only one percent of all casino resort hotels. Extraordinary services, quality amenities, and superior surroundings are among the benchmarks that AAA Four Diamond Award winners must achieve. Then, in Casino Player Magazine's annual "Best of Gaming" reader survey, Foxwoods received a staggering 38 awards. The six casinos at Foxwoods were recognized in the survey, taking first-place awards for Best Blackjack, Reel Slots, Live Poker, Poker Tournaments, Poker Room, Comps, and Promotions, along with the title of Luckiest Casino. Second-place awards for gaming included Best Casino, Hometown Casino, Craps, Roulette, Video Slots, Video Poker, Race/Sportsbook, Players Club, Service, and Hosts. Competing against all tribally-owned casinos throughout the Northeast including Mohegan Sun, Seneca Niagra, Turning Stone Atunyote, Turning Stone Shenandoah and Seneca Alleghany, Foxwoods received 19 first-place awards, 18 second-place awards, and one third-place award.

People continue to flock to Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods, and one of the many reasons is the superb entertainment. The resort casino is renowned for its world-class entertainment venues — including the MGM Grand Theater and the Fox Theater — that host a vast array of first-rate spectacles and performers, which add to the property’s reputation as the East Coast’s hottest nightlife and entertainment destination.

Upcoming events include: Survivors in Fashion: An Evening of Hope and Inspiration (October 15); Lenny Kravitz (October 17); Celebrity Chef Sundays (October 18 and 25); Stevie Wonder (October 22); David Copperfield’s An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion (October 23 and 24); Laura Pausini World Tour (October 25); Van Morrison (October 28); “The Price is Right” Live (October 30-November 18); Assi El Hallani and Shada Hassoun (October 31); Toby Keith (November 5 and 6); Roger Daltrey (November 7); “Cirque Holidaze” (November 12-21); Jerry Seinfeld (November 20 and 21); Legends in Concert (November 27-January 3); Wynonna (November 29); the Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza (December 4); “Hairspray” (December 29-January 3); and Larisa Dolina (January 23 and 24).

Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods also continue to sizzle on the culinary front, with a variety of dining options and events to suit all tastes. Foodies will certainly want to mark their calendars for October 18 and 25 when Celebrity Chef Sundays heat up the award-winning resort casino. This highly anticipated series will feature iconic chefs (and TV personalities) Rocco DiSpirito and Pat & Gina Neely, respectively, who will be on hand for spirited cooking demonstrations and book signings.

Guests will never walk away from Foxwoods and MGM Grand at Foxwoods hungry, thanks to the plethora of eateries found throughout the property, including: the four-diamond Paragon restaurant; Michael Schlow’s Italian restaurant, Alta Strada; Scorpion Bar Mexican Cantina, serving authentic and innovative Mexican-inspired cuisine; Veranda Café, with three new buffet stations, including a made-to-order “action station”; David Burke’s casual burger and grinder joint Burke in the Box; Tom Colicchio’s renowned Craftsteak; contemporary steakhouse David Burke Prime; and sleek Pan-Asian eatery Shrine Asian Kitchen, Lounge and Nightclub.

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.

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