Mashantucket — Foxwoods Resort Casino has announced the hiring of Anika Howard as vice president of brand marketing and digital communications.

Howard has nearly two decades of gaming experience and has expertise in digital and mobile product marketing, brand communications and sports betting, Foxwoods said in a news release.

“In our search to find a candidate that could strategically bring the Foxwoods brand to life, Anika’s experience and earned respect among industry peers were unmatched …,” Suzanne Trout, the casino’s chief marketing officer, said. “Anika has a track record of implementing cutting-edge, integrated approaches to create more engaging customer experiences …”

Howard joins Foxwoods after a six-year stint at IGT, where she was responsible for launching iLottery for the Illinois State Lottery and the Georgia Lottery. She most recently led product marketing for on-premises mobile and sports betting services and solutions in North America.

Howard recently was named one of “25 People to Watch for 2018” by Global Gaming Business magazine and won the 2018 Women of Achievement Award from the Nevada Women’s Fund.

She will lead Foxwoods’ advertising, public relations, digital marketing, sponsorships, marketing, web and social business efforts.

MOHEGAN GAMING EXTENDS AGREEMENT WITH LA. TRIBE

Mohegan — Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, Mohegan Sun’s corporate parent, has signed a new five-year contract to manage the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana’s Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, La.

The two tribes recently announced the deal, which will enable MGE to take a bigger role in operating the Louisiana resort.

MGE signed a consulting agreement with the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe in May 2016 and since then has provided gaming, hospitality and entertainment consulting services, assisting Paragon with a full “refresh” of the brand and its facilities. Improvements included the installation of new carpeting on the casino's gaming floor, additional slot machines and redesigned signage.

Under the new agreement, an MGE subsidiary will manage all of Paragon’s gaming, entertainment and hospitality operations.

The resort, which opened in 1994, has more than 1,600 slot machines and 44 table games, a 500-room hotel, a full-service spa and salon, an 18-hole golf course, retail outlets and seven restaurants.

FOXWOODS HOTELS RECERTIFIED AS ‘GREEN’

Mashantucket — Foxwoods Resort Casino hotels’ commitment to “green” environmental practices has earned them recertification under the Connecticut Green Lodging program.

The program, promoted by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of Tourism, first certified Foxwoods’ four hotels in 2014.

The Fox Tower, Great Pequot Tower, Great Cedar Hotel and Two Trees Inn feature more than 2,200 guest rooms.

In the first half of 2018, Foxwoods hotels converted nearly 4,435 tons of non-recyclable waste to usable forms of energy, Foxwoods reported. The hotels also recycled glass, metal, paper, cardboard, plastic and other materials; enabled guests to limit their use of fresh sheets and towels, saving water and energy and reducing detergent waste; provided electric car charging stations in parking areas; and installed LED lighting.