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www.HartfordBusiness.com • January 21, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 17 Mohegan Sun Arena have remained steady since September, helped in part by a notable lineup of shows including Kesha, Blake Shelton, Justin Timber- lake and Kelly Clarkson, Pineault said. Attendance there is also expected to be consistent for the pro lacrosse club New England Black Wolves, whose 2018-19 season runs through April. Mohegan hotels are also maintaining a 95-plus percent occupancy rate, and the casino's new $80 million Earth Expo & Convention Center has been a "tre- mendous success" during its first eight months in operation, Pineault says. The 250,000-square-foot complex has lured several well-established exhibi- tions, including the Hartford Boat Show and Connecticut International Auto Show, previous mainstays at the Con- necticut Convention Center in Hartford. "Knowing what your competitors are doing is important as an organiza- tion, but from a strategic perspective, we continue to focus on providing great products and good people, and that doesn't change regardless of who the competitor is that comes online in our industry," Pineault said. "Both the hotel as well as the Expo Center are performing better than we had mod- eled post MGM impact." Foxwoods does not release hotel occupancy data, but Butler said on-site hotels are still recording strong occu- pancy rates upwards of 90 percent. Sales have also been stable at Foxwoods' 4,000-seat Grand Theater, according to Butler, who said the ca- sino is still booking quality shows and scoring consistent ticket sales. "Other than their splash at opening, they haven't done a lot of entertain- ment," Butler said of MGM, suggest- ing their entertainment drought has helped Foxwoods. "That might be con- tributing to their lack of performance on the gaming revenue side." Capitol watch In addition to tracking MGM's im- pact, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are focused on this year's legislative session, featuring a Democrat-controlled legis- lature poised to vote on several bills that would benefit Connecticut casinos. One bill co-sponsored by Senate Democrats would allow Connecticut to bypass the federal government's role in approving changes to tribal compacts re- quired to open a casino in East Windsor. The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes teamed up several years ago to open a joint gaming venue near the northern border as part of an ef- fort to ward off competition by MGM Springfield. State lawmakers greenlit the East Windsor casino in 2017, but the U.S. Interior Department has refused to sign off on changes to the state's gaming compact with the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, delaying the $300 million project. State lawmakers are hoping to side- step the federal government and get construction started. Also slated for consideration is a bill that would legalize online and brick-and-mortar sports betting at the state's tribal casinos, legislation that is likely to get pushback from anti-gam- bling advocates and off-track betting parlors and others who may want to host sports-wagering sites. Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods execu- tives say they are ready to launch on- site sports betting if legislation passes. Their plans, developed by working groups over recent months, include adding kiosks and transitioning race books and electronic gaming areas to accommodate sports wagerers. "We need to add that amenity, our competitors are already adding it," Pineault said. "To remain competitive in the market, our guests want to have that amenity offering." Butler, who last year hoped sports betting would be legalized before Sunday's Super Bowl, called the bill a "top priority." "We are optimistic, because every- one around the table is saying the same thing, and shame on us if we can't figure it out for the state in very short order," Butler said. BEST PLACES TO WORK IN CONNECTICUT LSTROUD@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | P: 860-236-9998 | WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM Who will be selected as the BEST EMPLOYERS in CT? To learn more about the Best Places To Work Program, visit: WWW.BESTCOMPANIESGROUP.COM Contact the Hartford Business Journal for sponsorship opportunities: ADVERTISING@HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM For questions about this event please contact Lauren Stroud at 860-236-9998, ext. 137 or email lstroud@hartfordbusiness.com Some companies just get it right! The Best Places to Work Awards honor companies who rank highest in employee satisfaction as determined by a survey administered nationally by the Best Companies Group. The winners will be recognized in a special issue of the Hartford Business Journal in print and online, and at a special awards dinner! WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/OUREVENTS CLICK ON BEST PLACES TO WORK AWARDS REGISTER TODAY! JOIN US! February 28, 2019 | 5:30pm-9:00pm | Farmington Gardens Foxwoods Interim CEO Rodney Butler said his casino's entertainment business has not been negatively impacted so far by the opening of MGM Springfield. PHOTO | HBJ FILE