Mohegan Gaming Announces iGaming and Mobile Sports Betting Platform

Posted on: June 30, 2021, 08:59h. 

Last updated on: June 30, 2021, 11:45h.

Devin O'Connor Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE), the casino unit of the Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut, unveiled its online gaming and mobile sports betting platform today.

Mohegan Gaming Connecticut Foxwoods casinos
Mohegan Sun visitors walk through the casino last month. Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment announced this week its iGaming and sportsbook platform Mohegan Digital. (Image: The Day)

A release from MGE announced its first foray into the online gaming space will come by way of Mohegan Digital. The iGaming brand is a result of Connecticut lawmakers and Gov. Ned Lamont (D) expanding Mohegan Sun’s Class III gaming compact. That includes online slot machines and table games, as well as in-person and mobile sports betting.

Lamont signed off on the new tribal gaming agreements in May. The new terms also apply to Foxwoods, owned and operated by the state’s other federally recognized tribe — the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. 

As legal sports betting continues to expand in the US, the timing was right for us to launch Mohegan Digital,” said Ray Pineault, president and CEO of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment. 

Mohegan Digital will first concentrate on Connecticut. MGE says Rich Roberts will serve as president of Mohegan Digital. Roberts comes from RSD Consulting, where he advised clients on sports digital media, regulated iGaming, and eSports.  

Online gaming and sports betting in Connecticut are expected to launch before the end of the year. 

Naming Made Simple

It likely didn’t take MGE’s marketing team much time to come up with Mohegan Digital. But like other casino giants, keeping it simple seems to be the safe bet.MGM Resorts went with BetMGM for its iGaming and mobile sports betting product.

Wynn Resorts went a similar route with WynnBET. Caesars Entertainment came up with Caesars Online.

Upper Hand on Neighbors

Connecticut’s decision to legalize sports betting and iGaming for its two tribes is the result of ongoing competition in nearby states. 

When Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods opened in the 1990s, customers flocked to the tribal destinations from all around the northeast. But today, those people no longer must travel to the Connecticut casinos, as gaming properties are in New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 

Casinos in those states have led to reduced slot revenue at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, and subsequent fewer tax dollars for the state. The tribes’ compacts require they share 25 percent of their slot win the state. Table game money remains fully with the tribes.

Now, Connecticut’s tribes have a major competitive advantage by way of iGaming. While sports betting is legal and operational in New York and Rhode Island, the latter also allowing mobile sportsbooks, full interactive casinos are not legal in those three states. 

Sports betting makes the headlines, but online gaming platforms generate considerably more revenue from internet slots and tables. 

For example, in New Jersey, the nation’s richest iGaming and sports betting state, internet casinos reported gross gaming revenue of $970.3 million in 2020. Sportsbooks kept $393.1 million of the bets wagered from brick-and-mortar and mobile channels. 

Foxwoods Entry

Foxwoods has yet to unveil the brand it will use for its online gaming and sports betting operations in Connecticut. The casino has long operated a free-to-play digital iGaming app that affords players a chance to learn the games without risking actual cash.

FoxwoodsONLINE, as the mobile product is called, allows players to earn points that can be used at the actual Foxwoods Resort Casino. The rewards are good for hotel stays, events, shows, and dining.