Category: Mohegan

Mohegan Gaming CEO Ray Pineault apologized to Nevada gaming regulators Wednesday and accepted “full responsibility” after the company’s casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was hit with a five-count complaint for violating state-mandated COVID-19 capacity guidelines during the casino’s March 25 opening night festivities.

In a stipulated settlement filed with the Nevada Gaming Commission last month, Connecticut-based Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment agreed to pay a $60,000 fine. Gaming commissioners will rule on the settlement on June 24.

“People got a little exuberant and were caught up in the celebration,” Pineault said after a brief hearing in front of the Gaming Control Board in Las Vegas.

The board gave Pineault tentative approval as an officer for the business arm of Connecticut’s Mohegan Indian Tribe, which was the scheduled matter. Prior to doing so, regulators asked pointed questions about the casino’s opening night activities.

“There is no excuse, and we understand the concerns,” Pineault said. “We hope the commission will accept our settlement agreement.”

At the time of Mohegan Sun’s opening in Las Vegas, the state’s gaming industry was operating under 35 percent capacity limitations, requiring social distancing on the gaming floor and requiring all customers and employees to wear facial coverings.

In the complaint, the Gaming Control Board cited photos that appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and on the Virgin Hotel’s Twitter account showing reality television celebrities who were hired by the property to appear on opening night playing table games without wearing facial coverings and surrounded by crowds of onlookers who were not socially distanced.

One photo showed a contingent of customers, not socially distanced, walking through the resort, with the caption, “The crowd continues to get larger and flows about the casino floor.”

Pineault termed the opening night “a lapse of judgement. Nothing is more important to us…

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Despite looming disciplinary action for his company, the CEO of Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment on Wednesday was recommended for licensing by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

During his licensing testimony, Raymond Pineault, who was appointed president and CEO of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority on May 27, apologized to Control Board members for the company violating government health and safety regulations at the opening of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on March 25.

Board members voted unanimously to recommend Pineault’s suitability application to the Nevada Gaming Commission, which is expected to consider final approval on June 24.

Regulation 5 complaint

The Control Board issued a 17-page complaint against MGNV, LLC, doing business as Mohegan Sun Casino Las Vegas. The Mohegan Tribe is one of three partners operating Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

In the five-count complaint, Deputy Attorney General John Michela said the company was in violation of Regulation 5 for its “failure to exercise discretion and sound judgment to prevent incidents which might reflect on the repute of the state of Nevada and act as a detriment to the development of the industry” for the operation of its casino.

The complaint cited patrons not wearing face coverings and not engaging in proper social distancing during the party for the opening of the hotel-casino.

On three of the five violations, the Control Board cited photographs posted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal as evidence, and on the other two, it noted social media postings on Virgin Hotels Las Vegas’ official Twitter account with photos showing people without facial coverings or not observing social distancing. The Virgin Hotels posts have been taken down.

In one of the Virgin Hotels postings, patrons were identified, including photos of actor, television and radio host Mario Lopez. The complaint noted that Lopez was not eating, drinking or smoking…

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Aaron Pico answered questions at the Bellator 260 media day ahead of his about against Aiden Lee.

Pico (7-3 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) meets Lee (9-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) in a featherweight bout on Friday’s main card at Mohegan Sun Arena. The JacksonWink product is looking to improve his winning streak to four in a row and maintain his status as one of the brightest young stars in the sport.

Pico discussed why his April return was delayed, his evolution as a fighter in MMA, and much more.

You can watch the interview with Pico above.

Photos: Aaron Pico through the years

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – If Yaroslav Amosov wins title gold in the Bellator 260 main event, his life won’t change much – but he hopes to inspire the lives of others.

Amosov (25-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) grew up in a small village in the Ukraine, and even though he’s on the poster for Friday’s card at Mohegan Sun Arena, he doesn’t plan on giving up the simple life he lives. But if he wins, the impact will be felt by a community back home – and that means a lot to him.

“I’m from a small city,” Amosov told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I want to show everyone the guy from a small city like me can prove to everybody that it’s possible and anything is possible that you want to achieve in your life.”

Bellator 260, which is headlined by Amosov’s title challenge against welterweight champion Douglas Lima (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card streams on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

You can watch the interview with Amosov above.

Yaroslav Amosov def. Ed Ruth at Bellator 239: Best photos

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Jun. 6—MOHEGAN — The New York Liberty have had one of the most entertaining offenses early in this WNBA season using spacing and a bevy of threes to get out to their best start in four seasons.

The Connecticut Sun managed to put the brakes on New York in the second half of Saturday night’s game.

Sun post Jonquel Jones had a game-high 31 points and 13 rebounds as Connecticut used both its defense and superior size to down the Liberty, 85-64, before 2,118 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

New York led, 33-29, with 3 minutes, 53 seconds left in the first half. It also outshot the Sun in the first half, 53.6-percent to 42.9.

The Liberty shot just 33.3-percent (9 of 27) in the second half and were held 20 points under their season-average.

“They shot crazy in the first half,” Sun Jasmine Thomas said. “We made a concerted effort (at halftime) to be better (defensively) and kind of force them to take some shots they didn’t want to take in the second half.”

New York’s Betnijah Laney was the league’s third-leading scorer prior to the game. She made just 4 of 12 shots and scored eight with the 6-foot-4 DeWanna Bonner covering her the most.

“It starts with an individual effort,” Sun head coach Curt Miller said. “We tried to put length on (Laney) with DB. We had attention to her. She’s such a focal point on-and-off the ball.

“Jasmine Thomas (nine assists) was individually terrific on Sabrina Ionescu. We showed a lot of attention to her.”

Jonquel Jones, May’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month, scored 29 after the first quarter. She made 12 of 16 shots.

“We understood that they were going to play a ‘small ball’ lineup,” Jones said. “While it gives them some advantages offensively, we understood that defensively they were going to be really,…

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Ken Long, human resources director for Putnam Plastics in Danielson,  believes the hiring market is unusual right now.

“The market is as crazy as I have ever seen it in my experience,” Long stated in an email “There are definitely more job openings now than there are people available as we come out of this pandemic.”

To help bring in more employees to businesses, on May 17, Gov. Ned Lamont announced the CT Back to Work program that would give 10,000 residents who have been unemployed a delayed $1,000 payment from the state for returning to work. While state unemployment data for May isn’t available yet, April’s numbers from the Connecticut Department of Labor already show some improvement, with the unemployment rate at 8.1%, compared to 8.6% this time last year. However, the opinion seems to be mixed if offering incentives is encouraging people to come back to work.

In terms of CT Back to Work, an individual earns the $1,000 after being at a job for eight weeks from now until the end of the year, after having had an unemployment claim for the week of May 23, and 11 weeks between Dec. 27 to May 22, among other requirements on the program’s frequently asked questions document.

Mohegan Sun incentives

Jeff Hamilton, president and CEO of Mohegan Sun, said it’s good to offer an incentive, but $1,000 only goes so far compared to the extra $300 in federal money given weekly for unemployment.

Mohegan Sun: Summer hiring events with $500 and $2,000 sign-on bonus

“I think it does something, but I think people are smarter than we’re giving them credit for,” Hamilton said. “They’re saying to themselves ‘I’m making this amount staying home, and this amount working. Even with…

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TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge at Mohegan Sun

There’s never been a better time to treat yourself, to remind yourself of the finer things in life and to rediscover the thrill and the energy of the world at large. That means, to us, that there’s no better time to visit the recently opened TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge at Mohegan Sun.

To say there’s something for everyone at Mohegan Sun is an understatement. We took an exclusive look inside Mohegan Sun and the latest TAO outpost, one that expands a formidable nightlife empire even further.

The TAO name precedes itself: The TAO Downtown in New York City has earned a well-deserved reputation as a hip, bustling nightlife spot, and TAO’s cash cow of a Las Vegas location was America’s highest-grossing independent restaurant for four straight years in the last decade.

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TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge at Mohegan Sun

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A recent visit to the latest TAO at Mohegan Sun reveals why other TAO locations are favored by celebs and superstars like LeBron James, the Kardashians and other celebs. 

Clocking in at 10,000 square feet, seating 300 patrons and filled with TAO’s signature Pan-Asian flair (including a 16-foot-tall Quan Yin statue), TAO Mohegan Sun is a welcome respite from times that have been anything but opulent.

TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge at Mohegan Sun

TAO opened at Mohegan Sun near the end of March, and the TAO team has been busy since then. TAO Group Hospitality acquired Hakkasan…

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Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 260 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 260 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the fights below.

Records: Alex Polizzi (7-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA), Gustavo Trujillo (3-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA)
Past five: Polizzi 4-1, Trujillo 3-1
Division: Light heavyweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 06.06.21): N/A

Records: Amanda Bell (7-7 MMA, 3-3 BMMA), Marina Mokhnatkina (4-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA)
Past five: Bell 2-3, Mokhnatkina 3-2
Division: Women’s featherweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 06.06.21): N/A

Records: Lucas Brennan (4-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), Matthew Skibicki (4-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA)
Past five: Brennan 4-0, Skibicki 2-3
Division: 150-pound contract weight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 06.06.21): N/A

Records: Bobby King (9-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), Nick Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA)
Past five: King 4-1, Newell 3-2
Division: Lightweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of 06.06.21): N/A

Records: Tywan Claxton (6-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA), Justin Gonzales (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA)
Past five: Claxton 3-2, Gonzales 5-0
Division: Featherweight
Rankings: None
Odds (as of…

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Foxwoods Resort Casino on Wednesday was requiring all patrons and employees to continue wearing masks while Mohegan Sun was mandating that masks only be worn by those who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Jeff Hamilton, Mohegan Sun’s president and general manager, said the casino was asking employees to show proof of vaccination in order to work without a mask.

“We are checking vaccination cards among team members,” Hamilton said. “If they can’t prove they’ve been vaccinated, they have to wear a mask or they can’t work.”

He said it would be “impossible” to verify patrons’ vaccination status.

About 70% of Mohegan Sun employees — more than 3,000 of them — have been fully vaccinated, said Hamilton, who’s hopeful the lifting of the mask-wearing requirement will help convince those who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine to do so. He said he hoped to get more than 90% of Mohegan Sun’s workforce vaccinated.

Jason Guyot, Foxwoods’ president and chief executive officer, said Wednesday his casino still was requiring patrons and employees to wear masks, at least for now.

“We are reviewing the new CDC guidance and will have an announcement by the end of the week,” he wrote in an email. “Safety of our guests and team members remains paramount and we want to ensure our plans are clearly laid out prior to lifting the masking policy.”

Foxwoods has discontinued or removed most other COVID-19 protocols, including temperature checks of patrons and plexiglass barriers that had been erected between slots positions and between table-games players and dealers, Guyot said. All slot machines, some of which had been turned off to create physical distancing, have been activated, and all capacity restrictions pertaining to table games, restaurants, theaters, events and retail shops have been lifted.

Advanced cleaning of high-touch areas will continue,…

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Foxwoods is maintaining its cautious approach, while Mohegan Sun is no longer requiring fully-vaccinated guests and team members to wear masks on the reservation.

MONTVILLE, Conn. —

Most of Connecticut’s COVID-19 mandates were lifted Wednesday, allowing the state to regain a sense of normalcy.

• There will be no more capacity limits for businesses
• People who are fully vaccinated will not be required to wear masks inside

However, things may look a little different for people exploring the state’s casinos.

Here’s what guests can expect:

The Mashantucket Pequot tribe, maintaining its cautious approach, says face masks will still be required throughout the property.

Social distancing on the property is being scaled down from six feet to three feet, while continuous cleaning of high-touch areas will remain.

Additionally, Foxwoods plans on cautiously easing some of its other COVID-19 protocols, including capacity restrictions.

“The strategic rollback plan for our COVID-19 measures is highly calculated and thoughtfully timed to ensure we do this right and keep our resort safe,” Foxwoods President and CEO, Jason Guyot said. “With the exception of face masks, all protocols will be lifted by or before May 19, aligning with Connecticut’s plans. We will closely monitor our approach but are ready to introduce a safe and more relaxed ‘next to normal’ environment for our guests and team members ahead of summer.”

Mohegan sun announced fully-vaccinated guests and team members are no longer required to wear a mask while on the reservation.

The resort and casino will continue temperature checks, but they will be monitored remotely at entrances to the property.

Mohegan Sun is also bringing back more live entertainment to the arena.

Officials say will return July 18, with many shows scheduled through the end of the year.

“We have been preparing for this day for a long time and we…

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