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• Drivers on Connecticut Route 2, in Preston, Conn., Monday, June 1, 2020, pass one of four electronic signs erected Sunday night by the state to warn patrons of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan.
• Connecticut's two tribal casinos are back in play, opening their doors to the public Monday for the first time since mid-March. 'Freedom,' said Lisa Relihan, who drove from Litchfield to gamble at.

Connecticut’s two tribes each run their own land-based casino. Foxwoods Resort Casino is located in Mashantucket, in the southeast foothills of the state. Opened in 1992, it’s still one of the largest casinos in the world with around 345,000 square feet of gaming space and 2,250 hotel rooms.

Slot machine revenue was down only slightly in June at Connecticut’s two casinos as they reopened after a pandemic-related shutdown and a clash with Gov. Ned Lamont.

When Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun became the first casinos to reopen in the Northeast on June 1, tribal leaders were uncertain how quickly customers would return and if they would be afraid to venture back at a time of social distancing and mask-wearing.

But Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler said Thursday that slot revenue was down only 4.9% at Foxwoods and 3% at Mohegan compared to June 2019 — leading the tribes to contribute $20 million into Connecticut tax coffers under a long-running revenue sharing agreement.

“The results are a reflection of quite a few things,” Butler told The Courant. “One, pent-up demand. Two, a duopoly that hadn’t existed in 15 years. And three, confidence in the safety and protocols that we put in place. All of it made for a solid month. All of us in the state should be happy for that.”

The tribes clashed with Lamont, who had publicly sought a delay in opening by advocating a go-slow approach at a time when the coronavirus was spreading. But the tribal leaders said they had the authority as sovereign nations to reopen when they wanted. Lamont had no power to stop them, but he threatened — briefly — to take measures such as revoking their liquor licenses if necessary.

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The businesses opened anyway and tried to get back to a sense of normalcy for customers heading to the slot machines, gambling tables and restaurants throughout the casinos.

At Foxwoods, all customers entering the complex have their temperature taken, and they are all required to wear masks.

“To date, we’ve had less than five people who have gone through the temperature checks” and were turned away at the door, Butler said. “People are self-policing. People who are feeling sick are just not showing up, which is great. On the mask side, everybody is wearing the mask. It’s no questions asked at this point. No issues. ... You do not get past our security without wearing a mask.

“We’ve been open for six weeks, and you don’t see any serious spiking in this part of the state. ... Nobody wants to catch this virus. People are taking precautions.”

As the virus was spreading quickly and the state reached a peak of nearly 2,000 hospitalization on April 22, there were concerns among some officials that the casinos could be a prime spot for spreading the virus with numerous out-of-state visitors. But the rates of infection were always lower in southeastern Connecticut than in spots like Fairfield County, and casinos said they would enact safety protocols with hand sanitizer and masks that would block the spread of the virus.

When they became the first casinos to reopen in the Northeast, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun had the market to themselves in the same way that they did in the glory days of the state’s casinos. One of the biggest local competitors, MGM Springfield, did not open until July 13 — giving Connecticut a six-week headstart on the competition.

Now, Butler said, all casinos in the region are open except for those in New York at Yonkers Raceway in Westchester County and Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. With more competition now from Springfield and beyond, officials will see if the June numbers are sustainable.

“With Rhode Island and Massachusetts and New Jersey and Pennsylvania opening up, we’re seeing the volume starting to soften because of that,” said Butler, who declined to make a prediction for the full month of July. “We’re still in the middle of a pandemic. ... We see the volume falling off in accordance with that.”

In June, Foxwoods contributed $8.4 million into the state coffers, down from $9 million in June 2019. Mohegan Sun contributed about $11.3 million, down slightly from $11.7 million last year.

Upon closing in mid-March, the tribes furloughed thousands of workers at their casinos, which generate millions of dollars in salaries and revenues in southeastern Connecticut. Combined, the two casinos paid the state $430 million at the peak in the 2007 fiscal year in an ongoing slot-machine agreement, but that number was expected to drop to $180 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30. The two casinos employ more than 12,000 workers, while many more are employed in the delivery of products and supplies to two of the world’s largest gambling operations.

At Foxwoods, 2,000 employees are back on the job in a region marked by high unemployment. The casino is not operating at 100%, and it will be fully reopened based on crowds and any developments in the virus. Butler said the employee count will remain at 2,000 for July.

Jeff Hamilton, the president and general manager of Mohegan Sun, said the casino’s June slot revenue of $45.5 million represented a 3% decline from last June.

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“This past June did have less weekend days than June of 2019 as well, so it certainly was a strong month,” Hamilton said. “We’re encouraged by the early reopening figures and more importantly, we are excited about the return of what is now more than 3,000 team members. Our wide-ranging safety measures have been vital and well received, too, by both our valued guests and team members alike.”

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Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com.

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