Mohegan Sun Connecticut Lands First Spot on Top 10 Casino Ranking, Venetian, Wynn Among Las Vegas Venues on List

Mohegan Sun, the tribal gaming property in Uncasville, Conn., took the top spot in USA Today’s survey of the 10 best US casinos.

That venue is one of three tribal casinos on the list, each of which resides in the top three. Foxwoods Resort Casino, located in Mashantucket, Conn., took the number two slot. That is the older of the Nutmeg State’s two casinos, having opened in 1993. Mohegan Sun launched three years later.

That establishment is operated by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE), the casino business of the Mohegan tribe. MGE recently became the first tribal operator on the Las Vegas Strip, recently entering into an agreement to run the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the rebranded Hard Rock, when that venue opens next year.

Mohegan Sun comprises three hotel towers with a combined 1,563 guestrooms and suites. Mohegan tribal stories come to life throughout the hotel’s design,” according to USA Today.

MGE says the venue has over 300,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 5,000 slot machines, 300 table games, and a 33-table poker area. Pechanga Casino in Temecula, Calif. rounds out the tribal venues on the USA Today list, placing third on the top 10 list.

With a gaming area of 200,000 square feet, Pechanga is one of the biggest casinos in the Western US, and has 5,000 slots and 130 table games.

Strong Showing For The Northeast

Las Vegas is the gambling mecca of the US, but the USA Today survey holds gaming properties in the Northeastern part of the country in high regard. In addition to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods claiming the top two spots in the rankings, the pollsters placed New York’s del Lago Resort and Casino fourth.

“Rooms at the Encore Boston Harbor come equipped with flatscreen TVs, high-speed wireless internet access, Wynn Dream Beds with 507-thread-count sheets, spacious marble bathrooms with separate shower and soaking tub, and voice-activated lighting and temperature controls,” according to USA Today.

In August, its second full month in business, Encore Boston Harbor posted gross gaming revenue of $52.48 million, up from $48.57 million in July. The property is seen as a major competitive threat to New England rivals, including other Massachusetts and Rhode Island commercial casinos, as well as the Connecticut tribal properties.

Viva Las Vegas

Sin City did fairly well on the list, placing five venues within the top 10. Las Vegas Sands’ Palazzo and Venetian were placed together in the seventh spot, while the Wynn and Encore occupy the eighth ranking. That’s some discrepancy from a TripAdvisor survey out earlier this year that ranked the two Wynn Strip properties as the top domestic integrated resorts.

With the tenth ranking, Caesars Palace was the other Las Vegas property on the list, and the second for Caesars Entertainment after Harrah’s New Orleans, which placed sixth.

In the ninth spot, the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Miss. was the other gaming property located in the South to make the USA Today list. MGM Resorts runs that venue.