Foxwoods Resort Casino is a
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
-
casinoIn modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
in
MashantucketThe Mashantucket Pequot are a small Native American tribal nation of the Algonquian language community in the state of Connecticut. Within the tribe's Reservation, in Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot operate Foxwoods Resort Casino, the world's largest resort...
,
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, it is one of the largest casino complexes in the world in terms of floor space for gaming. The entire resort comprises 4700000 sq ft (436,644.3 m²) of space. The casino has over 380 gaming tables including
blackjackBlackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
,
crapsCraps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
,
rouletteRoulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
, and
pokerPoker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
. Foxwoods also has the most slot machines of any casino in the world, numbering over 7,200. There are several restaurants including a
Hard Rock CafeHard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
. Foxwoods has 1,416 hotel rooms and a two story arcade for children and teens.
History
Foxwoods was founded in 1986 as a bingo hall. The casino was financed by
Lim Goh TongTan Sri Dato Seri Lim Goh Tong was a prominent wealthy Malaysian Chinese businessman. He was renowned for his vision and courage in transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's most successful casino resorts...
, a Chinese Malaysian who founded the only legal casino in Malaysia. Lim died in October 2007.
In 1992 the owners, the
Mashantucket Pequot TribeThe Mashantucket Pequot are a small Native American tribal nation of the Algonquian language community in the state of Connecticut. Within the tribe's Reservation, in Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot operate Foxwoods Resort Casino, the world's largest resort...
, added table games, followed shortly by slot machines in 1993.
G. Michael BrownG. Michael Brown is a former New Jersey gaming regulator who became a lawyer for the gaming industry, and was the chief executive officer of Foxwoods High Stakes Bingo & Casino. -References:...
became the chairman of the casino in 1993. The casino agreed to pay 25% of their slot revenue to the state of
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, a sum that now amounts to almost $200 million per year .
A new poker room and a high-limit game area with 30 tables were added in 1995. A new smoke-free casino, designed for non-smokers, was completed in 1996. In 1997, a deluxe tower, the Grand Pequot Tower, was opened for business.
Design
The full build-out of the resort was an effort completed by several design and construction entities, but the majority of the work from 1992 to 2001 was completed by Construction Managers: CR Klewin aka Klewin Building Co. and the Architect of Record JCJ Architecture (formerly Jeter, Cook & Jepson) of Hartford, CT with planning & concept designs by New England Design Inc. and Nick606 Inc. Later phases were completed by Shawmut Design & Construction, Perini Building Co., AZ Corporation, and others.
Baccarat
Foxwoods offers both traditional "big table"
BaccaratBaccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...
(Punto Banco style) and "Mini-Baccarat", where a dealer handles the cards. In both variants the casino banks the game.
Bingo parlor
The only gaming section open to ages 18 and up, Foxwoods holds bingo sessions twice daily, with the bingo hall able to accommodate up to 5000 players. The hall features a large stage where the callers sit, smoking and non-smoking sections, video bingo terminals, a concession stand, and soda fountains where players enjoy complimentary drinks. Players who win certain games will be allowed to go up on stage and spin a giant wheel with different amounts of money on it, or try to catch as much money as possible in a wind-tunnel-like structure called the "Money Machine".
Blackjack
BlackjackBlackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
at Foxwoods is played with 6 or 8-deck shoes, 6 decks in high limit pits and 8 in all normal gaming pits. All tables are hand-shuffled since the removal of the continuous shuffling machines several years ago. The dealer must hit on all totals of 16 or less, and stand on all totals of 17 or more. As of 28 April 2011, the dealer must hit on all soft 17s on select tables. Foxwoods offers double down on any two cards, and splitting up to 3 times (excluding Aces, which can only be split to two single-hit hands), and double down after split. Specially marked tables offer side bets, including Super Sevens, Match The Dealer and In-between Bet. Table minimums start at $5, and on the main gaming areas go up to $25 or $50. In the Stargazer Casino on the 25th floor above the Grand Pequot Hotel, the table minimums start at $200 a hand.
A variant of Blackjack called
Spanish 21Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant owned by Masque Publishing Inc., a gaming publishing company based in Colorado. Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule...
is also played, with similar table minimums and side bets. Back-betting is no longer allowed on any Blackjack and Spanish 21 games, although it is allowed on
Casino warCasino war is a casino card game based on the game of War. The game is one of the most easily understood casino card games, and is one of the only card games where players can beat the dealer more than 50% of the time....
.
Craps
As of early 2008, Foxwoods permits players to bet 5 times odds on all points in
crapsCraps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
. On points 4-6 or 8-10, players are allowed to make an odds bet equal to 5 times their pass line/come bet. When betting on the don't pass line/don't come, players are allowed to lay 6 times odds on points 6 and 8, 7.5 times odds on points 5 and 9, and 10 times odds on points 4 and 10. Table minimums are usually $10–25 but can be as low as $5 during slower hours. The combined house advantage of 0.227% on the don't pass/don't come with full odds is the best bet in the casino (aside from banking in Pai Gow Tiles/Pai Gow Poker and advantage play).
Keno
Foxwoods holds
kenoKeno is a lottery or bingo gambling game often played at modern casinos, and is also offered as a game in some state lotteries. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a "bubble" containing 80 balls which determine the ball draw result. Each ball is imprinted...
drawings every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day. 80 balls are in the pool, 20 are chosen. A progressive jackpot game is also offered.
Money Wheel
There is one Money Wheel in Foxwoods in the Rainmaker Casino, where one bets on the number that the 54-section wheel lands on. The "Joker" or "Foxwoods" spaces pay at 40:1, which is less than the 45:1 payouts in some casinos in
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
or Atlantic City.
Pai Gow Tiles
Pai gowPai gow is a Chinese gambling game, played with a set of Chinese dominoes. Pai gow is played in unsanctioned casinos in most Chinese communities...
is offered in the Asian gaming section of the Rainmaker Casino, and player banking is available every other deal. 5% commission is charged on all winning wagers, and players may not "bet their commission" (i.e. bet $21 to win $20), which reduces commission by 0.24%
Sic BoSic bo , also known as tai sai , dai siu , big and small or hi-lo, is an unequal game of chance played with three dice, and of ancient Chinese origin. Grand hazard and chuck-a-luck are variants, and of English origin...
, a popular Asian game with three dice in a shaker is also played in the Asian gaming section of the Rainmaker Casino.
Poker Table Game Variants
Table variants of poker (played against the house) are also available on the casino floor, including
Caribbean Stud PokerCaribbean Stud poker is a casino table game with rules similar to five-card stud poker. However, unlike standard poker games, Caribbean stud is played against the house rather than against other players...
,
Casino warCasino war is a casino card game based on the game of War. The game is one of the most easily understood casino card games, and is one of the only card games where players can beat the dealer more than 50% of the time....
, Crazy 4 Poker, High Five Poker, Let It Ride (card game),
Pai Gow PokerPai Gow poker is an Americanized version of Pai Gow . The games of Pai Gow poker and Super Pan-9 were created by Sam Torosian and Fred Wolf.The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, plus a single joker...
, Texas Hold'Em Bonus and
Three card pokerPoker played with three cards dates back to the origins of the game of poker. As a result it's as unclear as the origins of poker, but includes the 16th century British card game of Brag. Rules for three card poker are included in Hoyle's Rules of Games from 1983 along with a hi-low...
.
Poker (WPT World Poker Room)
The WPT World Poker Room is located one floor below the Rainmaker Casino. At any given time, the Foxwoods Poker Room runs many poker games of varying stakes, including limit and no-limit
Texas hold 'emTexas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
, limit and pot-limit
Omaha hold 'emOmaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
(including hi/lo), and
seven-card studSeven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
(high only and hi/lo). Mixed games, such as OE and HOE are often available as well. There are also daily poker tournaments and
World Poker TourThe World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
events.
The poker room underwent an expansion and relocation in March 2006, increasing the number of tables from 76 to 114, making it the largest poker room outside of
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and the third-largest poker room in the world, after the
Commerce CasinoCommerce Casino is a cardroom located in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce. With over 240 tables on site, Commerce Casino is the largest cardroom in the world...
and the
Bicycle CasinoThe Bicycle Casino is the world's second largest poker cardroom.Founded by George Hardie Sr. in 1984, located in Bell Gardens, California, the Bicycle Casino offers a wide variety of poker games and limits, as well as pai gow poker, panguingue and California blackjack.Financing to build the casino...
.
In October 2009, Foxwoods added a player-funded bad beat jackpot for $1/2 no limit hold'em and $10/20 and below limit hold'em players. The minimum bad beat qualifying hand is 4 of a kind, eights, beaten by a higher ranking hand.
Roulette
Table minimums during the weekend are usually $10 or $25, though $5 tables are occasionally available. Almost all of the wheels are of the American variety (with two green spots, 0 and 00), though there are a few European style
RouletteRoulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
wheels with only one zero. Foxwoods does not allow the
"en prison"In roulette, the en prison rule is an opportunity to recover one's stakes after a spin of zero, provided one's bet was even-odds . It is a variant of the la partage rule, in which a player loses only half his even-odds stake if the original spin is a zero, recouping the other half...
rule (as played in Europe and Atlantic City, New Jersey).
Slots and video poker
Slot machines at Foxwoods pay out roughly 91.5% of the money that gamblers bet. In the fiscal year ending June 2008, Foxwoods' slots handled over $9.1 billion. 25% of slot revenue is given to the
State of ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. There are over 7,400 machines in five casinos devoted to slots and
video pokerVideo poker is a casino game based on five-card draw poker. It is played on a computerized console similar in size to a slot machine.-History:...
.
Sports betting
A sports betting facility with cafe is also located at Foxwoods. Bets may be made on Jai-Alai, or on over 60 tracks worth of dog racing and
horse racingHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Races are projected on 50 feet (15.2 m) high digital screens. Due to federal law, betting on other sports is impossible at Foxwoods, as it is prohibited outside of Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon.
MGM Grand at Foxwoods
Construction started in November 2005 on a $700 million expansion at Foxwoods. On April 25, 2006, Foxwoods announced that they would lease the
MGM GrandThe MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
brand name for the new building, and that
MGM MirageNot to be confused with the Las Vegas, Nevada based casino/resort operator Resorts International Holdings.MGM Resorts International is a Paradise, Nevada based corporation that brands itself as a global hospitality company. It is the second largest gaming company in the world by revenue - about...
would be a partner in the expansion project. The expansion, entitled The MGM Grand at Foxwoods, opened on May 17, 2008. It is a separate building from the main Foxwoods resort, but is connected by a moving walkway. Amenities at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods include:
-
- 53 table games
- 1,400 slot machines
- 825 hotel rooms/suites
- 4,000 seat performing arts theater
- Four restaurants and four retail outlets
Source:
Unionization of Employees
Beginning with an employee led website (www.madatfoxwoods.com) to gain support and sharing of ideas of how to react to the changes employees had been going through, a small base of employees approached some union organizations to determine if unionizing would be the best fit for the dealers of foxwoods casino. After deciding on the UAW in June 2007, the UAW helped start collecting signatures from dealers in support of a union, the
United Auto WorkersThe International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
announced in September 2007 that it had collected the requisite number of signatures needed to hold an election to determine whether table games and poker dealers desired union representation. The Tribe challenged the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board over on-reservation Native American enterprises. Following hearings, the National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of the union and ordered a union election to be conducted. On November 24, 2007, employees voted to unionize with 60 percent in favor and 40 percent against. The Foxwood dealers cast 1,289 ballots for the union, 852 against representation, and 36 additional ballots were challenged. Approximately 2,700 dealers and dual-rate dealers were eligible to vote in the election.
After the workers won their union, Foxwoods Casino appealed the election results, reasserting its jurisdictional challenge and claiming that the National Labor Relations Board made mistakes in conducting the vote, that the NLRB only printed the ballot in English and only provided notices explaining the election in only one form of the Chinese language, disenfranchised workers, and that interactions by union officials and some voters were unlawful. An NLRB Administrative Law Judge ruled that the union and the board provided ample explanation of the election in a variety of languages. Foxwoods has appealed the decision.
The Foxwoods dealers union have also pushed the state of
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to improve the conditions of their workplace. Workers and union organizers pushed to have legislation that would ban smoking on the casino floors of Foxwoods and
Mohegan SunMohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
. The Mashantucket tribe has opposed a complete ban on smoking, however in May 2009, Connecticut Governor
M. Jodi RellMary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
signed an agreement with Foxwoods Casino to voluntarily limit smoking areas in the casino.
Currently, the Mashantucket Pequot and the UAW are negotiating on a contract under the Mashantucket Pequot's tribal law. As of December 18, 2008, these negotiations have resulted in at least 21 dealers returning to work following a massive layoff of 700 employees in October 2008.
See also
- Indian gaming
- List of casinos
- Mashantucket Pequots
- Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
- Connecticut's other casino.
External links