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Foxwoods Celebrates 30th Anniversary of BINGO
July 1994–New Bingo Hall Opening
In July 1994, Foxwoods cut the ribbon on its new 3500-seat bingo hall—the largest hall in the country. (l-r) Bruce Kirchner, Senior VP of Administration, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Michael Holder, VP of Bingo and G. Michael “Mickey” Brown, CEO & President, Foxwoods Resort Casino.
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R ichard Chenail, Assistant Director of Bingo, tells, “I had a birdseye view from the admission’s booth and I still can’t believe The First Bingo Hall Opened July 5, 1986. the number Foxwoods broke ground in the gaming world with the introduction of people we of Bingo in 1986. had to turn Norwich, because “Charlie never away that day!” “I remember thinking how stopped building,” said John. many people could possibly want to come “‘I trust them,’ said Charlie Klewin. And, play bingo?” that’s why the next phases of construction “The money was coming in and we were for Foxwoods Resort Casino were given to literally just throwing it into a bag!” exudes Klewin Construction on a handshake!” Richard. An opening day most businesses Next, Skip traveled to New York City will only dream about. for a bank loan of $4M. Belinda Hayward Belinda Hayward McKeon tells, “I McKeon, Gaming Commissioner, worked as an EMT on opening day. Bobby Foxwoods, recalls her brother, Skip, holding Hayward worked as Security Manager. up the check and saying, “‘Count the zeros!’” The crowds that day were overwhelming Opening Day and understandably so. There were people The excitement was growing. “‘It’s camped out in tents along Route 2. When gonna happen,’ said my brother, Skip, on the doors finally opened, the line to get in opening day morning and at 9:45 on July wrapped around the building and some 1500 5, 1986, the Bingo Hall opened. And, we people showed up to play. We were sold-out were scared to death as there was so much by 10:30 a.m. that July 5th 1986 and from at stake! The big prize money and a new that incredible day on, bingo continues to car give-away were all coming from tick- thrive.” et sales. Even though Skip told us, ‘They The Tribe’s success with the game would come,’ we wondered ‘what if?’” of bingo gave way to the building of Skip Hayward, Bruce Kirchner and Foxwoods Resort Casino. And, in July John’s brother, Michael Holder are the key 1994, Foxwoods cut the ribbon on its new figures who come to mind as having played 3500-seat bingo hall—the largest hall in the a vital role in the Mashantucket Pequot country. Tribal Nation’s (MPTN) economic, politBelinda worked alongside Foxwoods’ ical and cultural revival since the ‘humble first Tribal Bingo Team: Bruce Kirchner, beginnings.’ In a 1996 Resident interview Manager; Michael Holder, Assistant with Michael Holder, recently retired af- Aanager; Joey Carter, Food and Beverage ter 28 years as VP of Bingo, he described, Manager; Gary Carter, Human Resources “Opening day at the Bingo Hall was an ab- Manager; and Bobby Hayward, Security solute mad house.” The excitement was Manager. There were less than 50 employexplosive! ees to manage the crowd including all floor photo courtesy of MPTN
story & photos by Alexis Ann ith a dream spearheaded by Richard “Skip” Hayward and 25 blocked spaces on a card, Foxwoods broke ground in the gaming world with the introduction of bingo in 1986. This July 2nd, Foxwoods will celebrate 30-years of Bingo with Firecracker Bingo, which will be held in the 3500-seat bingo hall at Foxwoods, the largest bingo hall in the country. Top prize is a cool $1 million that will go to the first lucky player who covers his/her card. Doors open at 7 a.m. and games begin at 10:30. Admission is $500. The Decision to Open a Bingo Hall In a recent discussion about the history of ‘what started it ALL’ with John Holder, Tribal member and Project Manager, Foxwoods Engineering & Master Planning, he states, “It’s a fact that on April 30, 1984, the Pequot corporate body voted 12-1 with two abstentions to approve the construction of a high-stakes bingo operation.” John explained that the road at the start was ‘rocky’ after Connecticut’s chief state criminal attorney wrote the Tribe a letter threatening to shut down the bingo operation if opened as planned. The Mashantucket Pequots filed for a federal preliminary injunction and Judge Peter Dorsey granted a permanent injunction on January 9, 1986, holding that Connecticut’s bingo laws did not apply to the reservation. The bingo hall opened on July 5, 1986. Building the First Bingo Hall “Building the bingo hall was a $4M project and we only had one million,” said John. During the construction, Hurricane Gloria arrived with all her glory. She blew down a special cedar tree, and that huge tree that we were saving crushed the steel on the west side of the structure. So, now, we were out of money and $2M in the hole!” The Tribe needed an angel and they found one in Charlie Klewin Construction,
The Visionary
Richard “Skip” Hayward spearheaded the dream of building the High Stakes Bingo Hall for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.
workers, admission clerks, booth attendants, callers and kitchen staff—a bare minimum compared to the 150 or more that it takes to run the bingo complex today. “A 30-year anniversary milestone is a unique opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come and what we’ve learned along this incredible journey,” states Rodney Butler, Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. “Gaming was the only option that provided a stable, consistent profit for us, despite many other business attempts in the early eighties—and it all began with our High Stakes Bingo Hall. Had it not been for the pioneering spirits and leadership of past and present Tribal Elders, we would not have provided thousands of local jobs, donated hundreds of millions in cash and sponsorships to regional charities, and distributed nearly $4 billion in slot revenue to the State of Connecticut, to date.” Felix Rappaport, President & CEO, Foxwoods Resort Casino, comments, “Bingo put the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on the map and we are proud to be celebrating our 30th Anniversary. We have the largest Bingo Hall in The U.S. and over the years, we estimate that at least 55 million people have passed through those doors to play the most varied, fun, and exciting Bingo offerings anywhere. And, over the years, the Bingo Hall has also hosted concerts featuring such luminaries as Opera Great Luciano Pavarotti, as well as Nationally-Televised World Championship Boxing Cards. Many of our Bingo Team Members go back to Day One, and without their efforts, there never would have been a Foxwoods Resort Casino, now the largest in North America at over nine million square feet all under one roof.” So, what’s changed about the game of bingo? “The players are getting younger,” says Richard Chenail. (Or is it that we’re all growing older?) The Resident wishes Foxwoods Bingo a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY and MANY MORE!