Mohegan Sun investing $15 million in new lounge, other improvements
Mohegan — Mohegan Sun is betting on its high-end clientele.
The casino has announced it plans to invest $15 million in a new VIP lounge and other amenities, including upgrades of its two most luxurious hotel suites and improvements to Mohegan Sun Golf Club in Baltic.
“Our premium customers have always been an important part of our business,” Jeff Hamilton, Mohegan Sun’s president and general manager, said Monday. “We think our high-end amenities give us a competitive advantage.”
Work has begun on the VIP Lounge & Bar, which will be located next to the Ballo restaurant and take up part of space formerly occupied by Seasons Buffet, which closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. No decision about the remaining buffet space has been made, Hamilton said.
The Rockwell Group, the architectural firm responsible for much of Mohegan Sun’s interior, including, most recently, Tao restaurant, has been retained to design the 6,500-square-foot lounge, which will include dining and a central fireplace. To be completed by late fall, the lounge will cater to Mohegan Sun’s rewards club VIP members.
An additional restaurant offering is being developed for the Casino of the Earth area.
Renovations also are underway inside the 3,500-square-foot Royal Suites on the top floors of the Sky Tower hotel. More than $3 million is being spent on the suites, each of which has two master bedrooms, two Jacuzzis, butler service, a large circular living room and panoramic views of the Thames River.
A three-year multiphase renovation of the golf course calls for the redesign of parts of the course and the purchase of more than $1 million in new turf equipment. The first phase, which is underway, involves eliminating certain bunkers, improving others and removing and replacing trees.
The partially-covered patio outside Mohegan Sun’s Summer Entrance, where bands perform during the summer, also will undergo improvements this year and in 2023. Proposed changes include the addition of a permanent outdoor bar, a deck, a music stage and a redesigned activities area.
March gaming revenues reported
Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resorts Casino posted modest year-over-year increases in slot-machine revenue in March, data show.
Mohegan Sun reported it “won,” or kept, $44.7 million in slots revenue after paying out prizes last month, a 2.8% increase over the $43.4 million it kept the same month the previous year. Foxwoods kept $30.4 million last month, a 2.4% increase over the $29.7 million it kept a year ago.
The casinos pay 25% of their monthly slots win to the state, with Mohegan Sun contributing $11.2 million in March and Foxwoods contributing $7.6 million.
In March, Mohegan Sun’s gross online gaming revenue was $8.1 million while Foxwoods’ was $10.2 million. The casinos pay 18% of their gross online gaming revenue to the state. Mohegan Sun paid $1.4 million and Foxwoods paid $1.8 million.
As for sports betting, Mohegan Sun posted gross gaming revenue of $3.5 million, while Foxwoods generated $2.5 million and the Connecticut Lottery Corp. generated $717,667. Each paid 13.75% of their gross gaming revenue to the state, with Mohegan Sun paying $484,418, Foxwoods paying $340,677 and the lottery paying $98,679.
In addition, the lottery’s retail sports betting locations generated $827,609 in gross gaming revenue. The lottery paid $113,796 of it to the state.
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