Found an interesting article on Connecticut Casinos and what's going on:
In the casino game, all bets are off.
Little that has long held true does anymore. Even the high-enders, once the most dependable segment of the business, have cut back, traveling less and sticking closer to home. Everyone's reaching less deeply into their pockets.
To combat dropping revenues, the local casinos have cut their payrolls, either by laying off workers or by rolling back salaries. After years of massive expansion at both casino properties, last year the Mohegan Sun halted its latest project because of the economic downturn.
At southeastern Connecticut's gambling meccas, they're not about to take all of this lying down.
”We're more cognizant than ever of the need to provide great value for the entertainment dollar,” said Joe Jimenez, Foxwoods Resort Casino's senior vice president of casino marketing. “We're focusing on three things: providing great value, better than in Atlantic City; great customer service; and providing more entertainment, more promotions.”
Basically, Jimenez said, there's something special going on at Foxwoods every day.
The same is true at Mohegan Sun, where marketing managers have been ramping up promotions and giveaways, tweaking their games and their entertainment lineups, and packaging hotel-room deals. They're listening to their customers, they say, and speaking to them, too, making sure they know about everything that's being offered.
”For example,” said Mitchell Etess, the Sun's chief executive officer, “we've always had free entertainment at the Wolf Den (the casino's 300-seat theater); now we're making sure to point that out in our advertising and promotions.”
In a pitch dubbed “Stimulus, Recovery and Rebound,” the Sun last month called attention to its introduction of ¼- and ½-cent slot machines, low-limit blackjack tables where the minimum wager is $5 around-the-clock, seven days a week; hotel rooms for as little as $99 when reserved two weeks in advance and three-course lunch specials for $15 at Birches Bar & Grill.
Paul Munick, the Sun's senior vice president of sports and entertainment, said he's looking to book more acts with ticket prices as low as $35, which can mean configuring the Mohegan Sun Arena for 5,000 seats, half its capacity. Rockers Buckcherry and Papa Roach, scheduled March 16, and crooner Johnny Mathis, due April 24, fit the bill.
In December, Foxwoods introduced a rolling chip program for serious baccarat players and has recently discounted packages at its hotels and upgraded its Dream Rewards program, which is open to anyone who visits the casino and signs up. Starting today, Dream Card holders can enter a “March Mayhem Sweepstakes” once a day for prizes that include a $25,000 instant cash payoff.
Similarly, Mohegan Sun's Player's Club members can swipe their cards daily for a shot at winning $500,000 in prizes, including a Caribbean cruise, between now and April 30.
Shrine, the nightclub and 225-seat restaurant at MGM Grand at Foxwoods, has staved off the effects of the downturn with a series of recession-busting promotions, according to Shana Barry, the hot spot's marketing manager. “We had 1,500 people in here Saturday night,” she said. The restaurant is launching a fixed-price, Sunday-through-Thursday menu today, offering choices of appetizers, entrées and desserts for $39. That's on top of an existing “Shrine Seventh Heaven” package, available Tuesday through Thursday. It includes an MGM room for the night, dinner for two at Shrine, a couple of drinks and admission to the Shrine lounge and to G Spa, whose amenities include a sauna, a Jacuzzi and a pool, for $159.
Since August, Shrine has also run an “I Love Tuesdays Industry Night” promotion at which Foxwoods employees and anyone else who works in the hospitality industry are admitted to the nightclub free of charge.
'An opportunity'
Etess said Mohegan Sun's overall marketing strategy is to sell the casino as a destination, to tout “the comprehensiveness of everything we offer,” and to get across the message that the resort welcomes those who aren't in a position to spend lavishly. Hence, the ¼-cent slots and the low-limit table games.
”The whole industry has been gravitating toward the lower denominations,” he said of the slots. “We've had pennies and nickels; they (low-denomination machines) allow people to play longer. … We put in the $5 blackjack because the tables were available, for one thing, and there was demand for it. We're going to convert some tables for low-limit craps, too, and eventually we'll have a full complement of low-limit table games.”
Aggressive marketing enabled Foxwoods to achieve near-capacity occupancy rates at its hotels in February, according to Jimenez. Packages that included dinner for two, admission to the Grand Salon and Spa and an overnight hotel stay ranged in price from $116 to $186.
Mohegan Sun continues to offer room deals, including a $50 discount on the nightly rate when reservations are made at least two weeks in advance. While making such concessions, the casino has been careful not to cut corners on service and amenities, said Anthony Patrone, the Sun's senior vice president of marketing.
”We wanted to do our cost-containing on things customers don't see,” he said. “That's why we didn't lay off people. You don't want employees who are anxious about their jobs interacting with customers. ... In a strange way, (the downturn) offers us an opportunity to pick up some market share from the competition. In Atlantic City, some players' lounges have closed, some restaurant hours have been cut. Here, it's been kind of business as usual.”
With all the focus on gambling and the big-name entertainment associated with casino resorts, the wide range of their dining options can get overlooked, a tendency Richard Zazzaro, the Sun's vice president of food and beverage, is eager to counter.
”There are so many affordable options here,” he said. “Local patrons need to understand that. Both buffets are great values, and we've got a lot of mid-range offerings.”
Indeed, Zazzaro said, the average per-person check total at the casino's 29 eateries is about $14.50.
In the spring, a good entertainment buy at Mohegan Sun, executives there said, is Connecticut Sun women's basketball, for which a good seat is $16, and the average ticket price is $25. A season ticket that includes admission to 17 regular-season games and two preseason games can be had for as little as $272.
”We're always giving away something at the games, too,” said Munick, the Sun's senior vice president for sports and entertainment.
Quote:
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In December, Foxwoods introduced a rolling chip program for serious baccarat players
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Are you guys familiar with this program? 
Connecticut Casinos: Mohegan Sun Casino or Foxwoods Casino Players? 
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