Accelerated Construction of Great Wolf Lodge Underway at Foxwoods
The Great Wolf Lodge at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut is set to officially open on June 15, 2024, but insiders are hoping to unveil the indoor waterpark before that date.
Great Wolf Resorts and Foxwoods representatives recently celebrated a "topping out" ceremony for the amusement park and 549-room lodge. This family-friendly venue is being constructed on sovereign land owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, south of the casino resort.
Secretly, we're aiming to push that [June 15] date forward," Steve Jacobsen, vice president of development at Great Wolf Resorts, admitted in a less-discreet manner.
Upon completion, the first Great Wolf Lodge in Connecticut will offer a 91,000-square-foot indoor waterpark and 61,000 square feet of arcade and family-oriented entertainment. Great Wolf Resorts anticipates the Foxwoods lodge to become their 23rd property in North America.
Resort Expansion
Foxwoods made its debut as a bingo hall in 1986 and has since experienced extensive growth through numerous expansions. Today, it stands as one of the largest casino destinations in the country. After securing a Class III gaming compact with Connecticut, Foxwoods introduced Las Vegas-style slot machines and live dealer table games to the Native American reservation when it opened its first casino space in February 1992.
To celebrate Foxwoods’ 30th anniversary of casino gambling, the Mashantucket Pequot tribe announced a $385 million expansion in 2022. This project included the launch of another casino — the Pequot Woodlands Casino — which added 50,000 square feet of extra gaming space to the resort.
At present, Foxwoods boasts four distinctive casinos with over 2,900 slots, 250 tables, and a 12,000-square-foot DraftKings Sportsbook. The expansion unveiled new restaurants, such as the Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, which opened in March 2023.
Most of the $385 million investment, however, was allocated towards the Great Wolf Lodge attraction. The family resort is predicted to cost around $300 million to construct.
Construction Completed
The construction of Foxwoods’ Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark and hotel has been completed. Construction crew leads declare that work will now shift indoors, just in time as the summer heat sets in.
Great Wolf Resorts is leasing the land where the lodge is being built from the tribe. The partnership will split the attraction's revenues and is projected to draw a new demographic to the casino-focused destination.
"It's a great match between Boston and New York," Jason Guyot, president and CEO at Foxwoods, stated on Wednesday. It provides families options they never had before."
Connecticut residents no longer need to drive to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun for legal gambling on a slot or table game, as iGaming went live in Connecticut in October 2021. The tribes retain exclusive rights to online casino games, though the Connecticut Lottery manages online sports betting.
Great Wolf Resorts was founded in 1997 in Wisconsin. The company today is publicly traded on the Nasdaq.
One of Great Wolf Resorts' major shareholders is Blackstone, the private equity giant that owns Australia’s Crown Resorts and the physical assets of the Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan, Aria, and Vdara on the Las Vegas Strip.
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