The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation are descendants of the Pequot tribe, with records of their people spanning back to the 1500s. They originally spoke the Mohegan-Pequot language, before it became extinct in the 1900s.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the "Mashantucket Pequot Indian Land Claims Settlement Act", which allowed the remaining members of the tribe to reclaim the land that had been illegally sold in 1865 by the State of Connecticut.
The tribe opened its first bingo operation in 1986, then opened Foxwoods Resort Casino in 1992.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council was formed to oversee and manage all operations of the tribe.
The current Tribal Council is run by Rodney Butler, Chairman, assisted by Latoya Cluff, Vice Chairwoman. Matthew Pearson is Secretary, Merrill Reels is Treasurer and Crystal Whipple, Daniel Menihan Jr and Michele Scott all serve as Tribal Councilors.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has an established governmental agency called the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Gaming Commission (MPTNGC). This Commission was created to protect the integrity of the gaming operations of the tribe and ensure that it adheres to the rules at Tribal, Federal and State levels.
The MPTNGC is led by George Henningsen, Chairman, and Kenneth Reels, Vice Chairman. The Commissioners include Belinda McKeon and Valerie Sebastian. Al Baldoz operates as Director of Compliance and Donna DeRagon as Licensing Manager.
As a regulatory body, the MPTNGC reports to the Tribal Council.
Originally used as the Mashantucket Pequot Bingo Hall, which itself opened its doors to the public on July 5, 1986, the Foxwoods Resort Casino was officially launched as a casino on February 14, 1992.
Since then, it has grown to encompass five different casino venues across 9,000,000 sq ft (840,000 m2) of land. The Foxwoods Resort Casino also hosts a range of hospitality services, including two hotel towers, an arcade and a retail complex.
The five venues currently operating at Foxwoods include The Fox Tower Casino, Grand Pequot Casino, Great Cedar Casino, Rainmaker Casino and Pequot Woodlands Casino.
According to its monthly revenue reports, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has directly deposited over $4.5bn of Foxwoods’ slot revenue into the state’s budget fund since operations began.
The Foxwoods Resort Casino has over 5,500 slot machines and more than 250 gaming tables for blackjack, craps, keno, roulette, baccarat, poker, pai gow, sic bo and others.
With 114 poker tables, the Foxwoods Poker Room operates as one of the largest in the US. It offers limit and no-limit Texas hold ’em, limit and pot-limit Omaha and seven-card stud. Foxwoods also offers a progressive Bad Beat Jackpot.
In keeping with its origins, Foxwoods also has a High Stakes Bingo Hall, which features over 30,000 sq ft of event space with more than 2,200 seats. The casino runs a variety of different bingo games, including regular games, progressives and seasonal events.
Keno is also available in the Rainmaker Casino on a set schedule throughout the week.
In partnership with DraftKings, the Official Sports Betting Partner of Foxwoods, the property has a two-story sportsbook in the Great Cedar Casino. Customers can use both windows and kiosks at the sportsbook.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation also launched a Foxwoods Rewards program on September 29, 2016. This included four tiers, Wonder, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. These can be redeemed at Foxwoods’ amenities, including select retail stores, restaurants, hotels, spas and other services.
In accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, revenue from the Foxwoods Resort Casino is used to fund programs and services for tribal families.
1992: The original renovation to turn the Mashantucket Pequot Bingo Hall into the Foxwoods Resort Casino. This included the installation of various table games on the property and was funded through a partnership with Lim Goh Tong, a Chinese-Malaysian businessman.
1995: The table game area was expanded to include 30 new high-limit tables and a brand new poker room was constructed.
1997: Foxwoods opens the original Grand Pequot Tower, a hotel with over 700 rooms, suites and villas.
2000: A $15m renovation and expansion of The Spa at Norwich Inn, which was purchased in 1994.
2008: The MGM Grand at Foxwoods building was completed, costing $700m. This included 53 table games, 1,400 slots, 825 hotel rooms, 4,000 seat arts theatre and several hospitality outlets.
2013: After MGM Mirage split from Foxwoods, the tribe renamed the building The Fox Tower.
2015: A retail complex was opened between the two hotel towers, named Tanger Outlets Foxwoods. The project cost $120m and features 85 brands, including Michael Kors, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
2023: The new Pequot Woodlands Casino opens on the property, located in the Grand Pequot Concourse.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation operates a few other enterprises alongside the Foxwoods Resort Casino. These include the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Pequot Health Care, the Lake of Isles golf courses, The Spa at Norwich Inn and the Pequot Outpost retail area.
KemperSports partnered with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on February 22, 2023 to assist with the management of the Lake of Isles.
DraftKings is currently the Official Sports Betting Partner of Foxwoods Casino Resort, with a two-story, 12,000+ square foot sportsbook, located in the Great Cedar Casino.
Hell’s Kitchen opened a venue at the Grand Pequot Tower through a partnership between Gordon Ramsay and Foxwoods Resort Casino.
