Mohegan Sun Celebrates $925m Expansion Milestone: 42 Poker Tables Coming

When you reach a major milestone toward completing Phase 1 of a $925 million Project that will make your casino one of the largest in the world, you have every reason to celebrate, which is exactly what the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, USA did earlier this month, for a project that will, amongst many other areas, see the fall 2008 re-opening their poker room with 42 poker tables.

Just before the final steel beam of the new 64,000 square-foot Casino of the Wind part of Project Horizon was set into place on Jan. 2, a ceremony was held as the beam was signed by Iron Workers Local Union #15 and many distinguished guests of Mohegan Sun.

The beam was then hoisted into the air carrying an American flag, a flag of the Mohegan Tribal Nation and an evergreen tree as part of a tradition that began in Scandinavia more than 1,000 years ago as a gesture of goodwill. In addition, Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum, the Chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, blessed the area and performed a smudge ceremony, as part of a hallowed tradition of Mohegan culture.

"Today is a proud day for Mohegan, as we have reached a major milestone in our Project Horizon expansion," said President and Chief Executive Officer for Mohegan Sun Mitchell Etess, who emceed the event along with Bozsum. "I would like to thank all the men and women who have dedicated countless hours of hard work and commitment to this project and have made this all possible."

When it opens in the fall of 2008, Casino of the Wind will feature 45,000 square feet of new gaming space, including a 42-table-themed poker room, 826 slot machines, and 28 table games.

"2007 has certainly been a busy and exciting year for Mohegan Sun, and 2008 looks to be even better," Etess added.

The original poker room at Mohegan Sun closed in 2003 to make room for more slot machines, but the popularity of the game has pushed the casino to bring it back to Mohegan. This past November, the casino introduced 12 automated PokerTek poker tables, which will make due till the new poker room opens.

DESIGN INSPIRED BY SOLAR PHENOMENA

The Casino of the Wind will be located adjacent to the existing Casino of the Sky, and will feature a unique Mohegan Sun design that draws inspiration from solar phenomena. The focus of the space is an electronic and animated water wall, which acts as an immense projection screen for programmed video entertainment. The other casino currently at Mohegan Sun is called the Casino of the Earth.

NEXT PHASES: HOUSE OF BLUES and NEW HOTEL TOWER

After completing the Casino of the Wind, Mohegan will turn to the next phase of the project, which will be the opening of the House of Blues, set to open in the fall of 2009. The House of Blues will also own and operate a 1,500-person capacity Music Hall and a 300-seat casual dining restaurant and retail shop.

The final phase of the project (which has already required the use of more than 50,000 man hours, two million pounds of steel and 4,500 yards of concrete) will be the opening of the 1,000-room hotel tower that will include 300 House of Blues-themed rooms and a 7,500-square foot members-only House of Blues Foundation Room. The structure will also feature a 20,000-square-foot Mandara Spa.

MOHEGAN SUN TO BE 1 OF TOP 5 BIGGEST CASINOS IN WORLD

When the entire expansion project is completed in 2010 the Mohegan Sun will feature 365,000 square feet and vault into the Top-5 largest casinos in the world list, just ahead of its Connecticut rival, Foxwoods Casino (344,000 square feet).

About Mohegan Sun

Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country.

For more information call +1.888.226.7711, click here to visit their website, http://mohegansum.com, or click here for the PokerPages profile of the Mohegan Sun, which will track upcoming poker events when the poker room re-opens fall 2008.

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