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Foxwood Resort Casino

In this article:

Foxwoods Resort Casino, arguably one of the biggest names in the casino industry. With exciting games, world class cuisine, high entertainment value, shopping & 5-star service, it’s unsurprising that Foxwoods is the largest resort in the Northeast. Just the sight of the building alone is enough to leave many gamblers to gawk in amazement. Everything about Foxwoods Resort Casino sounds wonderful, but what if they’re just trying to compensate for something?

In this article, we will give you a complete and honest review on the Foxwoods Resort Casino, located in Ledyard (Connecticut). We will discuss the history, the service, the kinds of games they offer, the pros and the cons, reviews written by players who have visited this casino, and more. So if you’re looking for a casino to spend your time, stay tuned and we will tell you know if Foxwoods Resort Casino will be suited for you.

The history of Foxwoods Resort Casino

We will give credit where credit is due. Foxwoods Resort Casino has grown to be one of the biggest casinos in the entire United States. The story of how the casino came into existence started when The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe gained legal control of their reservation and finally received federal recognition by an act of Congress in 1983, which overrode a veto by President Ronald Reagan. The tribe partnered with Lim Goh Tong, a Chinese Malaysian who founded the only legal casino in Malaysia, for financing to expand Foxwoods into a full gaming casino. 

The Mashantucket Pequots are native Algonquin people who endured centuries of conflict and survival. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is a federally recognized Indian tribe located at one of the oldest reservations in existence, Mashantucket, in Southeastern Connecticut. One of America’s greatest comeback stories is revealed through the history of the Mashantucket Pequots, who established the Indian casino gambling business a long time ago.

Life as someone from The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe has never been an easy one. They had to endure centuries of war, conflict and survival. The Pequots were nearly extinguished in one day. This happened when English colonists and their Indian allies attacked and torched the main Pequot village near Mystic in the spring of 1637. The survivors were sold into slavery or given over to neighboring tribes. Early in the 1970s, Elizabeth George (an elderly woman) was the last inhabitant left on a Pequot reservation in Ledyard, which is now the location of Foxwoods. Her grandson, Richard Hayward, was a pipe welder and ex-short-order cook with a bold vision and a knack for negotiating. In 1983, the tribe received federal recognition by an act of Congress thanks to them.

In 1985, the tribal leaders thought: “Why don’t we try bingo?”. This was initially frowned upon by the attorney general in Connecticut, but ended up being overruled in court in favor of the tribe. And thus, the idea of Foxwoods Resort Casino was born. An architect was hired for the 24.000 square foot building and the bingo hall was created. The bingo operation was a huge success and thus, the tribal leaders decided to try other games as well. After all, if they can do bingo, why shouldn’t they try other games that the state might allow?

It only took 221 days before Foxwoods was opened, on December 23, 1991. The casino was instantly popular, none of the tribe leaders expected their casino to blow up this much. It got so busy that the owners scheduled a 16 hour day, closed for 8 hours to give everyone some rest, and then continued the next day. No one saw this coming, but the success was more than welcome.

It got so successful, the governor couldn’t help but acknowledge them. And as time went by, the tribe and the state made a deal together. If the government allowed slot machines, they would give the governor 25% of the revenue. Blown away by the great offer, the governor was quick to say yes. The casino ended up making 110 million dollars that year, an astonishing amount. And since that day, the casino started to grow more and more.

It’s impressive how The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe managed to succeed under so much pressure. The economy was very difficult in 1992 and life wasn’t easy for them. The success of Foxwoods allowed many people and their families to stay in Connecticut. Their history truly shows that Mashantucket Pequot people are caring, tough and resilient. If you’re interested in learning more of their history, we recommend taking a look at the world renowned Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.

The present of Foxwoods Resort Casino

With such a successful past, you can’t help but wonder; how are they now?

Foxwoods Resort Casino is the largest resort casino in North America with 340.000-square- feet of gaming space. Forty thousand guests visit Foxwoods on weekend days. The place has 3.400 slot machines. Ten thousand employees. If you include everything, (hotel space, bars and restaurants, theaters and ballrooms, spa, bowling alley, etc). Foxwoods measures about 6.7 million square feet. This is more than the Pentagon. So, it goes without saying that Foxwoods Resort Casino is huge. And yet, this hasn’t been without its ups and downs.

Sadly, the Pequots misjudged the market and borrowed too much and expanded unwisely. This resulted in a $2.3 billion debt. Unable to afford any more costs, they had to stop the payments to members. This debt resulted in a huge impact on their reputation, with many articles surfacing and discussing if this is the end of the Foxwoods Resort Casino. 

“I was poor before. I can be poor again,” tribal member Gina Brown-Congdon, 59, said. “I’m not happy, but you have to deal with what life gives you.”

Although this was some time ago, many players have started to question the reliability of Foxwoods Resort Casino. And we at Bonuslots can’t deny that these are valid concerns, and something to keep in mind when visiting this casino. 

But, it seems like things are finally starting to look up for Foxwoods Resort Casino again. In 2022, they announced a $85 million resort development & casino project to celebrate their 30th anniversary. This was something they wanted to do a while back, but never got the chance to. The latest addition to the property will feature a state-of-the-art gaming space as well as a beloved celebrity chef-owned restaurant, according to Foxwoods.

The next-generation casino concept will feature a myriad of premier amenities, including:

  • 50.000 square feet of gaming space.
  • A 13.000 square foot iconic celebrity chef-branded restaurant to be revealed later this year.
  • New luxurious high-limit slot area.
  • An expansive 40-seat bar featuring over 35 slot machines.
  • New Grand Pequot Cage that will support both casinos.
  • A new lavish 15-seat public bar.

Foxwoods’ new casino will be situated in the Grand Ballroom, located in the Grand Pequot area of the resort. It’s estimated that this construction will be finished in 2024. Additional details about Foxwoods’ new casino will be announced in the coming months. For more information on Foxwoods Resort Casino, make sure to visit their website.

The design of Foxwoods Resort Casino

As mentioned before, this casino is one of the biggest casinos in the entire United States. But what could they possibly be doing with so much space?

Foxwoods is big with multiple areas in the building. It has a bingo area, play arena, poker room, a huge mall and more. Most noticeable is its ‘Fox Tower’, which is a huge gaming area. This is also where the hotel area is located, where you will receive a luxurious 400 square room with a TV and a large bathroom with a walk-in glass shower. 

This all sounds impressive, but there are also major design flaws when it comes to Foxwoods Resort Casino. Guests have reported that it’s easy to get lost and they don’t make it easy for you to find your way out either. Foxwoods is poorly laid out, too many levels for the amount of attractions and entertainment. There are barely any signs and indications on where you’re supposed to go, which might be intentional. You often have to spend a lot of time walking to get anywhere, which will result in you spending more time in the casino than you originally planned. Another sneaky strategy they use is the lack of comfortable sitting places. You’ll notice there are barely any benches around when you walk through the casino, except around slot machines and other games that want your money. 

Besides, guests have reported that Foxwoods Casino looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1993. A lot of the decorations haven’t been replaced for years, which is quite boring.

With that being said, Foxwoods Casino has more to offer than any of the other casinos. It’s very kid friendly, with multiple areas for kids to play and have fun. There are also many different kinds of shops that you can check out, although it’s worth mentioning that the mall is quite stale and not worth visiting on its own. If you’re not into gambling or shopping, a good reason to visit is if you’re into restaurants. There’s a ton of great restaurants that are high quality! You just have to find them, however…

Interested in learning more about the layout? Check out this video!

Foxwoods Resort Casino available games 

Enough talking about restaurants and shops! If you’re visiting the Foxwoods Resort Casino, there’s a high possibility you’re a gambler who wants to have a good time playing games. So what games are available in Foxwoods Resort Casino?

  • Traditional “big table” Baccarat (Punto Banco style) and “Mini-Baccarat”, where a dealer handles the cards. In both variants the casino banks the game.
  • Bingo, with a bingo hall able to accommodate up to 5000 players.
  • Blackjack with 6 or 8-deck shoes. A variant called Spanish 21 is also played. The casino offers a rare “Dollar blackjack” table (minimum bet is $1).
  • Craps.
  • Keno drawings.
  • A money wheel in the Fox Tower.
  • Pai gow is offered in the Asian gaming section of the Rainmaker Casino.
  • Sic Bo, an Asian game with three dice in a shaker, is also played in the Asian gaming section.
  • Table variants of poker (played against the house) include Caribbean Stud Poker, Casino war, Crazy 4 poker, High Five poker, Let It Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Texas Hold ‘Em bonus, and Three card poker.
  • Roulette: Almost all of the wheels are of the American variety (with two green spots, 0 and 00), although there are a few European-style wheels with only one zero.
  • Slot machines: With 3.400 available slot machines.
  • Stargazer Room: The VIP room. This section requires a minimum of 20.000.000 coins in your account.
  • A race book facility with a cafe. Bets may be made on Jai-Alai. They may also be made on a total of more than 60 tracks (combined) for dog racing and horse racing. Races are projected on 50-foot (15 m) high digital screens.

There are a few things worth mentioning, however:

  • Rainmaker has no tables.
  • Grand Pequot is only open on weekends and they’re $15 minimum.
  • Great Cedar is open 24/7 and there are plenty of $10 tables.
  • Near the cashier, they have $25 games.
  • High roller room is a two minute walk from Great Cedar and they have $50 and $100 tables. Mostly blackjack, but there’s also roulette and Pai Gow Poker. They don’t offer Pai Gow Tiles.

The service at Foxwoods Resort Casino

With around 2.200 employees working at the casino, what kind of service can you expect at Foxwoods Casino?

We’ve read through all sorts of reviews, and have gathered our conclusions on different matters:

  • Parking: There are many convenient free parking areas for you to park your car.
  • Hotel rooms: Most guests have reported that their rooms were clean and comfortable.
  • Food: The food is good, but pricey. Although some bars/restaurants are closed.  
  • Hospitality: The staff are generally described as friendly.
  • Kid friendly: This casino is kid friendly, with many places for kids to play.
  • Customer Service: The customer service is generally described as fine. There is staff available to offer assistance with questions. Although there are no on floor ticket sales and there’s nobody taking food or drink orders. If you are an elder or someone with mobility issues, you will have to walk and wait in line for tickets at one place and food somewhere else. 

All things considered, the service at Foxwoods Casino is decent with only a couple downsides.

Would we recommend Foxwoods Resort Casino?

We at Bonuslots prioritize reliability over everything. We want you to be able to visit a casino (whether it’s online or in person) without any concerns. Therefore, we’ve made sure to observe all the positives of Foxwoods Casino, but especially the negatives. Our review has been quite critical, but what are our conclusions?

Foxwoods Casino is, all things considered, still a very impressive casino. Whether you’re a fan of gambling or not, there’s plenty of activities you can do! That’s why we think Foxwoods Resort Casino is still worth checking out for gamblers and non-gamblers alike! Although if you wish to gamble, please keep the importance of responsible gambling into account.

FAQ

What is Foxwoods Resort Casino?

Foxwoods Resort Casino is a resort destination in the Northeast. As one of the largest resort casinos in North America, Foxwoods offers a vast array of gaming in six casinos; AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service, world-renowned spas, golf, state-of-the-art theaters, and exclusive retailers. Foxwoods Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

What is the legal gambling age in Foxwoods Resort Casino?

The legal age to play Table Games, Slots, Race Book and Keno is 21. On the date you turn 21, you will not be able to enter the casino floor until 6am. The legal age to play Bingo is 18.

Does Foxwoods Resort Casino have accommodations for pets?

Yes, they do offer Pet Friendly rooms at the Two Trees Inn. Rules and restrictions apply.

How many Slot machines does Foxwoods Resort Casino have?

Foxwoods Resort Casino currently has over 3.400 slot machines. You can play any amount from one cent to one hundred dollars.

What types of Table Games does Foxwoods Resort Casino offer?

Foxwoods Resort Casino offers over 300 Tables and 19 different types of games.

Where is Foxwoods Resort Casino’s poker room?

The World Poker Room is now located inside the Rainmaker Casino. You can access this area near the Atrium and Hard Rock Cafe.

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