Indian casinos earn more than the combined gaming revenues of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

So much for asking, where have all the Indians gone? These days, they are kind of a silent power when it comes to gambling. US Congress, via the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, permitted Indian tribes to operate gaming facilities. The Native American Indian casino gaming industry has since grown from one that earned $100 million in its first year to one that makes over $14.5 billion yearly.

The Last of the Mohegans: American Indian Casino Mohegan Sun

Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino is the world’s second largest casino, next to Foxwoods Resort Casino. Both are found in Connecticut, the wealthiest US state per capita income, which in 2005 was $47,819. Mohegan Sun is an excellent example that Native Americans play the Vegas game: it is as much about gambling as about tourism, whether in terms of location or amenities.

On 240 acres along the banks of Thames River, Mohegan Sun lies sprawled at the heart of southeastern Connecticut, responsible for 60% of the state tourism. It is home to the state’s only major league sports team, the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, and The Wolf 104.7FM. Not a full tank away are neighbors like Paul Newman who lives in Westport, Bruce Willis in Bethel, and Keith Richards in Weston.

Mohegan Sun’s 34-story hotel tower is among the tallest buildings in Connecticut; complimentary high speed T1 connections are available in 100% of hotel rooms. Both exteriors and interiors were famously left in the hands of designers from Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Rockwell Group, and Hirsch Bedner Associates.

Every afternoon, Mohegan Sun sends a throng of buses out to nearby Asian-dominated communities, like Boston’s Chinatown. Busloads of Asian and Chinese gamblers, some of its most avid customers, are transported to the 300,000 sqft casino gaming space – non-locals who play the night away and then get a ride back to their homes.

Mohegan Sun Casino is divided in two, the so-named Casino of the Earth and Casino of the Sky where added attractions feature highlights of the tribe’s history. There are 6,200 slot machines and 300 gaming tables, a close second to Foxwood’s 7,400 and 350, respectively. Popular casino games are baccarat, blackjack, roulette, craps, Caribbean stud poker, and keno.

This Indian casino sends limousines out to its high-rollers, who have no trouble choosing how to pick horses at the Mohegan Sun Race Book, New England’s only facility sporting 300 television screens and 222 self-wagering carrels. On offer are live horse and greyhound racing from around the US, Australia, England, plus Jai-alai wagering from Florida.

Like Las Vegas, and Atlantic City lately, Native American Indian casinos like Mohegan Sun make a real effort to offer tourists more to do than gambling. There is the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena, home court for the Connecticut Sun, the 350-seat Cabaret Theatre, the 300-seat Wolf Den, 130,000 sqft of retail shopping, 20,000 sqft of spa, and restaurants offering a cumulative 3,000 seats.

Original co-developer Trading Cove Associates relinquished total control of the resort to the Mohegan tribe in 2000, while still receiving a 5% dividend on gross revenues until 2014. Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino acquired for $280 million its first gaming venture outside Connecticut in 2005, what is now known as Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

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