Mashantucket — Felix Rappaport, the Foxwoods Resort Casino executive responsible for bringing Las Vegas acts to southeastern Connecticut, has been named the casino’s president and chief executive officer.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, which owns Foxwoods, announced Rappaport’s promotion Tuesday.

A 34-year veteran of the gaming, hospitality and entertainment industries, Rappaport, 62, joined Foxwoods in February, serving as senior vice president and chief operating officer, second-in-command to CEO Scott Butera.

Butera left at the end of October, having resigned to become commissioner of the Arena Football League. Rappaport was expected to succeed him.

“Felix has an incredibly extensive background, and his expertise is unmatched in the industry,” Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket tribal chairman, said in a statement. “His vision has been the driving force behind our master plan, which is to provide an enhanced resort experience for all our guests.”

Rappaport has spent most of his career at MGM Resorts-owned properties, resigning as president of The Mirage, one of MGM’s famed Las Vegas casinos, at the end of 2012. He’s been president of New York-New York, Luxor and Excalibur casinos and has worked for Station Casinos, Hershey Entertainment and Resort Co. and gaming mogul Steve Wynn’s Mirage and Treasure Island casinos.

Under Rappaport, Foxwoods has hosted the first East Coast appearance of Lion Fight, a mixed martial arts sport popular in Las Vegas, as well as such Las Vegas casino acts as comedian Carrot Top and illusionist Criss Angel, who last week dangled upside down in a straitjacket outside Foxwoods’ Grand Pequot Tower.

The tribe said Rappaport and other members of Foxwoods’ senior management team have been working to expand the casino’s offerings, which include new attractions, nightclubs, restaurants and an outlet mall scheduled to open in the spring.

“Throughout my career, my philosophy has been on shared leadership,” Rappaport said. “I truly believe that collectively we must unlock the full potential of the more than 5,000 team members to ensure that each and every guest truly experiences the greatest resort destination in North America.”

Like many casinos, Foxwoods was hit hard by the Great Recession’s effect on business and faces increasing competition in the Northeast. The Mashantuckets defaulted on their long-term debt in 2009 and completed a restructuring of that debt in 2013. The tribe has since defaulted again.

Foxwoods’ workforce is roughly half of what it was at its peak.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com

Twitter: @bjhallenbeck