Guyot declined to say how much Foxwoods is investing in the improvements beyond the $7 million it's spent on the new bingo hall. A new chandelier, LED screens and stonework are in place. Accessible to more than 12,000 Foxwood's Rewards cardholders, the space features a 150-foot long buffet, 225 seats and a panoramic view over forest treetops.Īnother promised Foxwoods 30th anniversary upgrade, a refiguring of the area around the elevator that deposits patrons coming from the Grand Pequot garage, is in progress.

The Canopy Players Lounge on the casino's restaurant level had a 'soft' opening Wednesday ahead of a full opening on Friday. The bingo hall wasn't the only thing new at Foxwoods. They should give out free gas cards (as prizes).' 'The system out front is a lot better they've got eight windows selling cards,' he said. Their drive is about 90 minutes each way, John Scurio said. John and Phyllis Scurio of Leominster, Mass., said that except for the COVID-19 shutdown and last week, when bingo was shut down amid the transition to the new hall, they've been playing bingo at Foxwoods once a week for the past 25 years. Irish, 64, who's been playing bingo since she was 13, brought her grandson along on his 18th birthday. 'It was sad so many workers didn't come back after COVID.

'You get to know them and you care about them,' she said. Karen Irish, of Bolton, a Tolland County town 15 miles east of Hartford, said she's made friends at the bingo tables over the years and has gotten to know some of the workers. What better way to mark an anniversary than with a $7 million investment in a bingo hall? I just love it.'īack in February, during its 30th anniversary celebration, Foxwoods announced it would be opening a new bingo hall and converting the previous one into the Rainmaker Expo Center, which will provide up to 75,000 square feet of space for corporate meetings, trade shows and sporting events.Īt Mashantucket, high-stakes bingo, which debuted in the late 1980s, predates Foxwoods' opening, Jason Guyot, the casino's president and chief executive officer, pointed out. Cavernous to the uninitiated, the new hall, at 30,000 square feet, actually is smaller than its 50,000-square-foot predecessor, which seated around 3,000 people.īut the new hall's definitely better lit, Karen Irish said. Wednesday - opening day - the bingo hall was filling up quite nicely, its occupants - seemingly older Baby Boomers for the most part -settling on chairs on either side of long rows of tables.

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