A Bingo Hall Evolves Into the Largest Casino Resort in the Country

The Mashantucket Pequots were near extinction and only had a few tribal members left when it pulled off possibly the biggest comeback in history. Some say it should never have happened. Others tried the best they could to stop its momentum. But in the long run, the Mashantucket Pequots in Connecticut’s woods would build the country’s largest Resort/Casino and a premier destination. How Did Foxwoods Become the Wonder Of It All?

The Past Dictates the Future

Did The Pequots Really Exist?

The Pequot War (1636-1638) — the first major conflict between colonists and an indigenous New England people — had a devastating impact on the Tribe. The Mohegan and the Narragansett tribes sided with the colonists to defeat the Pequots.

The Pequot War Mystic Massacre of 1637 was the final blow to the Pequot Nation. About 1,500 Pequot warriors were killed in battles or hunted down. Other Tribal members were captured and distributed as slaves or household servants.

20th Century Were Dire Times For the Pequots and Their Heritage

The original tribe was thought to be extinct for more than 300 years thereafter. By the 1960s, generations of poverty had forced most of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe to leave their 214-acre reservation searching for adequate jobs and housing. For the remaining members, the land was an important part of their tribal identity. Yet, the threat of losing that land was genuine.

Connecticut authorities in the 1960s were making plans to turn the reservation into a state park. In the early ’70s, their existence was questioned by the federal government. The land for the remnants of the tribe was an after-thought gift by the state of Connecticut.

The Legacy of Two Sisters and Their Grandson

Only one thing stood between the state of Connecticut and its plan to take over the last piece of reservation land: the determination of three older women not to let go. Alice Brend, Martha Langevin, and Elizabeth George were sisters, born and raised at Mashantucket early in the century. They had no political or economic power, but as long as they were alive, these three women could frustrate every outside effort to assert authority over Pequot tribal rights.

Enter Skip Hayward

By 1970, two sisters, Elizabeth George Plouffe and Martha Langevin Ellal, only two tribal members were left on the reservation. Unable to keep
up with repairs, Martha Langevin was forced to abandon her old house for a second-hand trailer with a leaky roof. Her grand-nephew, Skip Hayward, worked to recover her trailer, the last lived-in structure on the reservation, so that it wouldn’t leak.

“I remember the state overseer coming by and scolding this old woman like she was a child for doing any of this without their permission. It was one of the most humiliating things that I’ve ever seen anybody put through, and right then, it just set off a fire inside of me.”

Skip Hayward

When the sisters passed away, tribal members from around the country begin to move back to the reservation. If you could prove one of your great-great-grandparents was listed in the tribal census of 1910, you could join. Luckily, Skip Hayward began his rescue of the Pequot Tribe.

Skip Hayward and the Building of an Empire

The first thing Skip Hayward did was recruit his brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins to join him on the reservation. By using Connecticut’s state land claims, Skip Hayward and the Mashantucket Pequots received an act of Congress officially recognizing the Pequots as a tribe.

After gaining federal recognition in 1986, a high-stakes bingo hall took shape. It was 26,000 sq. ft. and welcomed busses in and out of state.

Federal Tribal Recognition

In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Indian tribes are more or less sovereign nations. Consequently, federally recognized tribes could run their own gambling operations on tribal land, free of taxes and regulations.

How Did Foxwoods Become the Wonder Of It All?

The Future Unfolds – Foxwoods Opens, 1992

In an agreement negotiated with Connecticut’s state to gain their approval for their casino, the Pequots agreed to pay 25 percent of the slot revenue to the state. And the rest is history.

Foxwoods had scheduled to be open for 16 hours on opening day. Poker dealer Stephen Zelden described that night in 1992 as “a mass of people.” On that night, 2000 players were still present gambling at 1:30 AM. Casino officials decided not to close. So, since then, it has been open 24 hours.

The opening night response and the crowds thereafter had officials thinking of Phase II expansion immediately. Construction on the Great Cedar facility began shortly thereafter.

Slot Machines and the Connecticut Compact

Bingo, then table games, was the reason for Foxwood’s early success. In 1993, the Mashantucket Pequots and then Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. agreed on the tribe’s exclusive rights to operate video facsimile machines (VLT, slot machines). In return, Foxwoods would contribute 25% of gross slots revenue to the state. If the contribution were to fall below $100 million in any year, the rate would increase to 30%. The first year alone was over $110 million and increased until the recession in 2007.

The late 1990s was a perfect time for the Mashantucket Pequots and the state of Connecticut. Connecticut received $145,957,933 in 1995/1996 which amounted to almost $200 million per year before the recession in 2008.

Big Revenue Means More Expansion

An additional hotel became the next expansion project. But not just any hotel. It would be the “grandest” hotel yet. The Grand Pequot Tower opened in 1997 with a dramatically lit lobby centered around tribal sculptures and Native American cultural elements.

Besides the hotel, the Grand Pequot Tower also included another casino and a lower dining and entertainment level. Celebrity chef David Burke’s steakhouse highlighted the Upscale dining. More casual restaurants nearby. The High Rollers Luxury Bowling Alley and Lounge also raised the bar with chandeliers hanging over exquisite lanes and ornate surroundings.

Museum Opens

The Mashantucket Pequots wanted to share their heritage as well as keep their history intact. On August 11th, 1998, the tribally owned-and-operated Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center opened and brought to life the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation’s story. The Museum is a 308,000-square-foot complex, consisting of permanent exhibits, the Mashantucket Gallery (a gallery for temporary exhibits), classrooms, a 320-seat auditorium, a restaurant, a museum shop, and administrative offices.

Related Post – Pequot History and Culture eBook

Golf, Anyone?

Branching outdoors, Foxwoods looked to add a top-level golf course. Lake of Isles is now one of the top golf facilities in the country since it opened in 2005. The course has two 18-hole courses with amenities that include a 50,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, and a state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor practice facility.

MGM Partners With the “Wonder of it All”

Foxwoods and MGM formed a partnership in 2008, creating MGM Grand at Foxwoods. In 2013, Foxwoods renamed the property Fox Tower when MGM and Foxwoods ended the partnership. The Fox Tower connects to the Foxwoods Casino Resort by a moving, covered walkway.

The Fox Tower added yet another casino and another entertainment venue. Shrine became one of the East Coast’s most exciting nightclubs. Additional meeting space tripled for conventions, celebrations, and trade shows. It rounded out an immense casino and hotel resort that led the nation in many areas.

The Peak Of Expansion at Foxwoods

By 2013, Foxwoods Resort Casino covered an area of 9,000,000 sq ft. At the peak of its title as the “largest resort casino in the country,” it had:

• five casinos
• more than 300 gaming tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and table novelty games
• largest poker room east of California
• more than 6000 slot machines
• 2,228 hotel rooms in three hotels
• over 35 dining options and a buffet

The Gigantic Complex Begins to Down-size

The Great Recession of 2007 – 2009 hit the gaming industry hard. Connecticut’s two tribal casinos – Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun – also felt the pinch. State revenue from the two casinos reached its peak in 2007 at more than $411 million.

But then, Foxwoods borrowed heavily to finance the previous massive expansion. Debt defaults in 2008 and increased casino competition introduced a decline in gambling revenue that has yet to be reversed.

After the Great Recession, Foxwoods began to downsize, converting casino floor space into nightclubs and other new attractions. Slot machines began to vanish; some retailers closed their doors, and walls appeared where open casinos once existed. Management invested in family amenities to become their saving grace. Foxwoods devoted the next expansion completely to retail.

Take Me To The Mall

In 2015, Tanger Outlets Foxwoods opened within the complex, between the renamed Fox Tower and Grand Pequot Tower. Constructed for $120 million, the 85-store mall focused on luxury brands and the usual mall stores.

Related Post – Connecticut Casinos by the Numbers

Summary

It continues to be quite the roller-coaster ride for The Wonder Of It All. The recession, followed by the Massachusetts casino expansion, continues to drive revenue and visitation down. To make matters worse for all New England casinos, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the casinos to their knees in southern New England. Foxwoods closed for the first time in March of 2020 until they opened in June.

There is still so much to do and experience at Foxwoods. To see what’s open, check their website. It will continue to be a challenge to open the entire property up. Until then, Foxwoods can still hold their head high. They defeated extinction, built a bingo hall, and became the “Wonder Of It All.”

Those of you who grew up on the East Coast may remember this commercial:

Did You Know? A Little Foxwoods Trivia

• Walking from Fox Tower Parking Garage to the Rainmaker garage can take up to 20 minutes one way.
• Two Trees Inn, away from the massive complex, was the original Foxwoods hotel in 1992. The Mashantucket Pequots sent guests there before the tribe completed building the Great Cedar Hotel.
• Foxwoods has three major pedestrian avenues (Foxwoods, Bingo, and Mall Ave) and four secondary streets. Pedestrian traffic inside only, of course.
• The Mashantucket Pequot Indian High Stakes Bingo facility was first named Foxwoods when it opened in 1992.
• Once Largest Casino Is About To Become Even Smaller