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Top 10 reasons to visit Connecticut casinos

4 March 2024

In April, I will be making the drive down to Connecticut from my home in the Boston area to spend a few days at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun. The two casinos, about 15-20 minutes apart from each other, have plenty to offer guests who are visiting, and here we take a look at 10 reasons why you should make a stop at the two properties.

10. Location
As already mentioned, the distance between Foxwoods and Mohegan is no more than a 20-minute drive and probably a little shorter. Now, this isn’t like the Las Vegas Strip where you can step outside of one casino and be able to throw a rock and hit another property, but this distance still gives you the ability to check out both of the resorts with ease.

The other benefit from this area is there is a full list of hotels surrounding both properties and located between the two. This gives visitors the option of staying off resort if they so choose which will most likely end up with them saving a few bucks per night.

9. Go-Karting
Going to casino-resorts isn’t all about gambling. There are plenty of non-gaming amenities for guests to enjoy if hitting the tables or slots isn’t their thing.

Both resorts have a go-kart track. At Foxwoods, Monza requires you to be at least 16 in order to take part in racing. A single race is $30 and you can toss on a racing suit if you wish for your eight-minute intense drive.

If you head over to Mohegan Sun, Supercharged has a multi-level track and the requirement to race is that you must be 58” tall. Here, you can race once for $24.95, but if you want to go for the finish line a few times, you can purchase a bundle, for example, three races for $59.95.

8. Golf
If you’re like me, when you a booking a trip or a vacation, one of the first things you look at is where the closest golf course is. Luckily, both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods have golf courses.

The North Course at Lake of Isles by Foxwoods is 7,200 yards from the tips. The South Course, for members only, is just shy of 7,400 yards from the black tees. After your round, you can stop by the Match Tavern for a drink and some food to go over your round and discuss your best shots of the round and look passed the shots that might have gotten away from you.

Mohegan Sun Golf Club is a par-72 course as well as the Pautipaug Pub & Grille and Triple Tee Snack Bar. In order to get a true view of which course I will like better, I’ll have to play both eventually to compare. Oh darn, I guess I will have to play an extra round in order to determine, what a shame.

If you visit these properties during winter and the courses are closed, or you don’t want to spend five or six hours to play, Foxwoods also offers a Topgolf Swing Suite where you can play on a simulator while enjoying drinks and food in between each swing.

7. Cigar bar
During my trips to Las Vegas, I usually try at some point to stop by one of the cigar bars next whichever hotel I am staying at.

For my trip in April to Connecticut, I will be able to keep that tradition going by making my way to Clay Pipe inside Mohegan Sun. Grabbing a table with my friends while enjoying a Macallan 12-year and some sort of Rocky Patel cigar is something I always look forward to.

The venue has over 200 cigars for you to choose from and has a couple of TVs around the bar so you can watch games during your relaxation time.

6. Food options
Between the two resorts, it will be difficult to not find something everyone in your party will enjoy for food.

If you want something quick for breakfast, both spots have a Dunkin’ Donuts available. You may decide to go the burger/bar food route for lunch and between the Hard Rock at Foxwoods and Bow & Arrow Sports Bar at Mohegan, you should be covered.

For dinner, guests may want to spruce it up a bit and Michael Jordan’s Steak House at Mohegan or David Burke Prime at Foxwoods provide that option.

Those are just a small select few from the long list of places to stop and eat at. Personally, one of my favorite meals I had at either resort was at The Scorpion Bar at Foxwoods. The Mexican restaurant had more types of tequila behind the bar than I could count, and the food, specifically the tacos, came very loaded.

5. Mohegan Sun Arena
A 10,000-seat entertainment venue, Mohegan Sun Arena has held major events, including Taylor Swift.

I have been to this venue and saw UMass take on Virginia in a college basketball showdown and the arena was nothing short of exceeding expectations. Concession prices weren’t bad at all, seats were comfortable for an arena, and getting in and out was extremely easy.

The venue is already gearing up for a big 2024. Stand-up comic and podcaster, Andrew Schulz is set to make his Mohegan Sun Arena debut as The Life Tour hits Connecticut on Saturday, 27 July.

Just a few weeks later, Shane Gillis will bring his award-winning comedic routine to Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, 16 August.

4. Sportsbooks
So far we have discussed enough already to fill several trips and we haven’t even arrived at the gambling or betting yet. Well, here we are.

If you are a sports fan, like myself, you may often find yourself wandering into the sportsbook when at a casino to drop a bet on an upcoming game or for your favorite team. The FanDuel Sportsbook at Mohegan Sun offers a video wall that stretches across 140 feet and guests can place bets at any of the six betting windows. There are also near 40 kiosks throughout the property where you can wager as well. You can grab a drink, then choose a seat on a couch or lounge chair to see how your bet is doing.

Over at Foxwoods, the DraftKings Sportsbook spans over 12,000 feet and also offers both windows and kiosks for wagers. The LED screen at this book is 50’x30’ and there are two full bars with 24 beers on tap. There are multiple VIP rooms for parties to reserve and have whatever game on they choose and a more private feel to their experience.

3. Casinos
It is nearly impossible not to find something you would want to play at these two casinos. Combined, there are over 550 tables and nearly 7,000 slot machines. Both casinos feature poker rooms as well. With 340,000 square feet of gaming space, Foxwoods checks in as the second-largest casino in the U.S.

With popular games like blackjack, craps and roulette, just as a few examples, there is something for every gambler.

I have been to both casinos a couple of times, and have never found it difficult to find a seat at the game I want, for the price I want. Also, there are too many slots to pick from, so it is only a matter of time when you are walking through the casino that one will catch your eye and you will sit down for a few spins, and hopefully get into a bonus.

2. Side bets
When playing blackjack, the rule of thumb that many players will tell you is if you are going to play the side bets, play it every hand or never play it. If you only play it sometimes, you know the only time the side bets will hit is when you don’t have any money on it.

I tend to follow this rule, and when I find side bets that I enjoy playing, I always play them and both of these casinos have side bets I enjoy.

Both Foxwoods and Mohegan have blackjack tables that include the Match the Dealer bet. If either of your two cards are the same number as the dealer’s up card, you win. If the suit matches or both of you cards match, the payouts increase.

Mohegan also offers Lucky Ladies. The goal of this is to have your two cards be two queen of hearts which pays 200-to-1. If the dealer also has a blackjack in that situation, the payout becomes 1,000-to-1. While that is quite rare, there are other ways to win on this bet. If your two cards, plus the dealer’s up card equals 20, you win 4-to-1 and if it is suited, the payout goes to 10-to-1.

1. Table minimums
One of the biggest rules you should always follow when entering a casino is knowing your limits. Only play with amounts you are willing to lose. Now, finding a table minimum that fits your bankroll falls under that category.

If you are looking for a certain table minimum and you can’t find a spot at a table that has it, don’t go to higher tables just to find a seat, you could lose your money in the blink of an eye.

That being said, I have never run into this issue when it comes to either of these casinos. I tend to stay around $25 per hand at blackjack but if I can find a $10 or a $15 I will sit at those to make my money last longer.

During the day at both of these casinos I have always found $15s and even some $10s. At night, like every casino, the minimums tend to increase. You will see $25s and higher but there usually are some $15s in the mix as well.
Dan Ippolito

As Casino City's associate editor, Dan produces and edits all of our weekly newsletters, and writes about the gaming industry for our websites and the GPWA Times Magazine. Dan graduated from Marist College in 2017 with a degree in Communications and a concentration in Sports. Email him at daniel@casinocity.com, or follow him at @casinocity_dan on Twitter.
Dan Ippolito
As Casino City's associate editor, Dan produces and edits all of our weekly newsletters, and writes about the gaming industry for our websites and the GPWA Times Magazine. Dan graduated from Marist College in 2017 with a degree in Communications and a concentration in Sports. Email him at daniel@casinocity.com, or follow him at @casinocity_dan on Twitter.