Are Casino Nightclubs Becoming a Thing of the Past? Foxwoods’ Shrine Latest to Shutter
Posted on: September 16, 2025, 09:55h.
Last updated on: September 16, 2025, 10:40h.
- Foxwoods has closed its Shrine Nightclub
- Nightclubs are reportedly losing popularity, as younger people prioritize their health
Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut is the latest casino to shutter its nightclub, joining a nationwide trend of gaming properties seeking to reimagine the large spaces.
Last Friday, officials with Foxwoods, owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, confirmed that the resort’s Shrine Nightclub had permanently closed. The casino’s Red Lantern restaurant was also shuttered.
The tribe didn’t immediately announce what would replace Shrine, a 22K-square-foot facility that was able to accommodate more than 1,000 partiers. The club had been operated by Big Night Entertainment Group and regularly hosted DJs and a mix of hip-hop, pop, and techno acts.
Boston-based Big Night is also behind such nightclubs as Memoire and Mystique at Encore Boston Harbor.
Foxwoods is entering a new era of nightlife, and while we close the chapter on Shrine Nightclub, what lies ahead promises to raise the bar higher than ever,” read a statement from Foxwoods to Boston 25 News. “A first-of-its-kind venue in the Northeast is on the horizon, with additional exciting updates to be revealed in the coming months.”
Shrine was rated just three out of five stars on Google. Many reviews included complaints about the service, including unwelcoming bartenders and bouncers.
Nightclub Closures
Foxwoods closing Shrine follows several recent casino announcements about nightclub closures.
In Atlantic City, Borgata, the premier destination in town, closed Premier Nightclub in August. The MGM Resorts casino hasn’t yet said what will replace the 18K-square-foot club. MGM did say, however, that it remains “committed to evolving the nightclub experience.”
In Las Vegas, the biggest nightclub destination in the US, Drai’s at The Cromwell is losing its prime rooftop space and being relocated to the casino’s basement. Caesars Entertainment is renovating part of the property into the Vanderpump Hotel, and that includes a redo of the roof area overlooking the Strip. Drai’s is moving from a 65K-square-foot club to just 13K square feet.
Are Nightclubs Losing Favor?
The popularity of nightclubs is said to be declining, with younger people presenting a reduced appetite for partying late into the night and early morning hours compared to their immediate elders.
What was once a night out dancing with friends and strangers in packed bars and nightclubs has now become an evening tucked in at home binge-watching ‘Severance.’ The United States has historically been a center of partying and clubbing, particularly in cities like New York, Miami, and Las Vegas, but the pastime is losing its appeal among young people,” Joseph Gesmer, an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, wrote in the Michigan Journal of Economics earlier this year.
“Even with the rise of house music and social media promotion, more nightclubs are closing shop, and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in the industry are at risk of losing their livelihoods. One of the biggest reasons is that young Americans are drinking less in general, leading to a decline in alcohol sales for venues,” Gesmer explained. “With more young Americans disinterested in drinking culture altogether, more nightclubs will struggle to fill themselves with thirsty twenty–somethings looking to party.”
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