MOHEGAN SUN AWARDS $704,939 WHEEL OF FORTUNE® MEGAJACKPOT®–2ND IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH

UNCASVILLE, CT – Mohegan Sun awarded a $704,939 Wheel of Fortune® MegaJackpot® on a one-dollar machine in Casino of the Sky on Saturday, February 6th. The winner, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was visiting the casino with a friend and “always plays the same bank of six machines, and only Wheel of Fortune®.” When asked how he felt upon realizing his MegaJackpot® win, the winner replied, “I saw the first two drop and then I saw the third drop in slow motion. Then I screamed ‘I hit the progressive!’” The excited winner went on to say he will share his news with only a few close friends and plans to use his winnings to pay bills and as a down payment on a house.
 
Saturday’s MegaJackpot® is the second to be paid already this year and the second to be awarded in less than one month at Mohegan Sun. On January 11th, Mohegan Sun paid an impressive $677,912 Jeopardy! ® MegaJackpot® prize. In 2009, Mohegan Sun paid fourteen MegaJackpots® totaling an amazing $3.48 million and since opening in 1996, 165 MegaJackpots® have been paid totaling over $115 million.
 
Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence, located 15 minutes from museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. For more information, please visit mohegansun.com.

NY slots pick runs rinky-dink Nevada casino (exclusive)

By REBECCA ROSENBERG in Elko, Nev., and JEREMY OLSHAN in NY

New York -

Instead of picking world-class MGM Mirage or Hard Rock Entertainment to run the city's first video-slot parlor, Gov. Paterson is betting on the company that runs the largest casino in all of . . . tiny Elko, Nev.

And if the Red Lion Hotel & Casino in the sleepy backwater town 500 miles from Vegas is any indication, Aqueduct is well on its way to being redeveloped as a Sin City resort -- circa 1972.

The Post spent the weekend in Elko to get an idea of how the Navegante Group -- the gaming arm of the politically connected winning Aqueduct bidder, AEG -- operates, since the desert town is where most of its holdings are.

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Navegante acquired the Red Lion in 2006 but has so far been unable to turn the tide.

"This is a casino that might have been in Vegas -- in the 1970s," said Courtni Greenwell, who works at the casino's Starbucks.

A third of the hotel's rooms have been renovated, but "still smell like an ashtray," one regular said. And the only entertainment currently offered at the casino, aside from the slots and table games, is karaoke.

The other three properties Navegante owns in town are in even worse shape.

The carpeting "is stained and dirty, and they just laugh at me when I ask for it to be replaced," said Thunderbird Motel front-desk clerk Velma Cheety. "There's a bullet hole in the window from five years ago, and they won't replace that, either.

"And now they're going out to New York?"

David Zornes, CEO for Navegante's properties in Elko, defended his hotels.

"There's nothing we don't repair. If we know about it, we do it," he said.

Lifelong residents in this town of 40,000 said Elko can hardly be considered a proving ground to make it in the Big Apple.

They should know -- the company is focused nearly exclusively on locals after it stopped subsidizing charter flights of tourists to bring them to town. Instead, Navegante now regularly doles out $5 vouchers to Elko residents to help bring in business.

Unlike on the Vegas Strip, where you're apt to see Gucci-slinging celebrities dining at four-star eateries, in downtown Elko, it's cowboy hats and mullets chowing down in restaurants with deer antlers on the walls.

"Look at this town. It's ugly. It's dirty," Cheety said. "We're an old cow town off the Interstate, nothing like New York."

When the company needed photos of the motel for advertisements, it "painted the left and the right side of the building but not the middle," she said. "And you can't see the middle, so they didn't bother. But why not just finish the job? It looks funny."

Founded in 1996 by former MGM Grand CEO Larry Woolf, Navegante owns or manages seven casinos in Nevada, Canada and Wisconsin, although none of them on the scale of the planned video slot parlor at Aqueduct.

Navegante contends that it is actually a better fit for the Aqueduct job than the bigger players in the industry.

"A lot of the guys running these big operations have never run a casino in their lives -- they're Wall Street guys," said Larry B. Woolf, the CEO's son.

"We have been in a similar situation before, when we beat out Caesars and Circus Circus to get the contract for Casino Niagara, which when we opened it at that time, generated more per square foot than any other casino.

"We don't have a board to report to. We make our own decisions, and we are competent, experienced, impeccable."

Michelle Fitzsimmons, 50, a cocktail waitress at the Red Lion, backed up her bosses.

"In this town, this casino is managed the best because, well, the other two went bankrupt," she said.

   
TALLAHASSEE - Picture a Vegas-style Bellagio on the beach. Rows of neon-lit slot machines, blackjack dealers and craps dice.

In Florida? It might not be as unlikely as it seems.

For the first time, the Florida Legislature's conservative, anti-gambling façade is showing cracks.

As Gov. Charlie Crist pushes his Seminole gambling deal yet again, legislators are beginning to think bigger — with even anti-gambling conservatives weighing the idea of trying to use Florida's tourist appeal to create lucrative casino complexes.

Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, who strongly opposed the expansion of slots in South Florida, now says that since gambling is everywhere in Florida, she supports a "free market" approach. She is pitching a "Gaming Equalization Act" to lure a half-dozen gambling executives to build beachside hotel-casinos.

One of the Legislature's staunchest conservatives, Rep. Alan Hays, says he wants the state to get into the gambling business directly by owning casinos and hiring private operators, similar to
the state Lottery.

Hays noted that under the governor's proposed deal with the Seminoles, if the tribe makes $4 billion in gambling profits the state would net around $800 million. That leaves $3.2 billion for the Seminoles.

"That one line right there shows you, there is a ton of money that can go into Floridians' pockets," said Hays, R-Umatilla. "We can reduce taxes or we can certainly fund a whole lot more education with $3.2 billion than we can with $800 million."

The pro-casino stance is a shift for Hays, who is perhaps most well-known for sponsoring an anti-evolution bill to allow creationism in Florida classrooms. Since being elected to the House in 2004, he has been a consistent "no" vote on gambling expansion.

"No matter what my personal views are, that doesn't mean gambling is going to go away," Hays said. "With that in mind, I feel it's my obligation to people of Florida to try to get the best deal we can."

Big casinos won't come easily. It would take a statewide vote to allow slots outside of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, as well as local referendums to authorize casino construction. Hays said his idea would require a "lot of homework" and would probably take two or three years to get through the Legislature.

Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said the casino idea seems to be gaining traction. He called the debate over the Seminole gambling an eye-opener for legislators on how pervasive the gambling industry is in Florida.

Gambling now tops $7 billion a year in the state, ranking sixth largest in the nation by some estimates. It includes an ever-expanding state-run Lottery, 27 pari-mutuel facilities, eight Indian casinos that raked in $1.9 billion in 2008, 5,620 slot machines in South Florida, and an unregulated and untaxed market that includes cruises to nowhere and penny slots in strip malls.

"Surprisingly, there's been a lot of discussion" on legalizing full-fledged casinos, Galvano said. "Putting it into reality is a much more difficult task."

Indeed, not everyone is board. And 2010 is an election year, so the environment is not conducive to making dramatic changes in state policy.

"I am troubled by broad expansion of gaming," said the budget-writing Senate Ways and Means Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales. "I just have this vision of Jimmy Stewart walking down Main Street in 'It's a Wonderful Life,' and I want to be encouraging" family values.

   

       

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New York Yankees’ 2009 World Series Championship Trophy To Be On Display At Mohegan Sun

One of the most storied franchises in sports history will display its record 27th World Series trophy on February 13th  

 Mohegan Sun welcomes the New York Yankees’ Tour of Champions 2009 World Series Trophy Tour. On Saturday, February 13th from 11:00am to 3:00pm, fans can visit and take photographs of the 2009 trophy on display in the Spring Gateway located in The Shops at Mohegan Sun.  

The 2009 World Series Champion New York Yankees opened Yankee Stadium at the start of the 2009 season and wrapped it up with a major league best, 103 wins and 57 of those wins coming at home and a World Championship.

By BILL FINLEY

Oaklawn Park officials will announce plans for what they are calling a Race for the Ages at a news conference Thursday.

Though no details of the race have emerged, word of the news conference fueled speculation that Oaklawn, a track in Hot Springs, Ark., is working on bringing Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta together for the Apple Blossom Handicap on April 3.

Rachel Alexandra won the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year as a 3-year-old filly. Zenyatta, racing as a 5-year-old mare, was runner-up. They have never raced against each other.

“Oaklawn is a great spot, and if everything works out correctly we’d love to be there,” Jerry Moss, an owner of Zenyatta, said by phone Wednesday. “It obviously depends on the horse.”

Asked if he had taken part in talks with Oaklawn or Rachel Alexandra’s owner, Jess Jackson, about a potential showdown between the horses, Moss replied, “There’s been some enthusiastic interest, but I can’t say more than that.”

Jackson could not be reached for comment.

Zenyatta’s trainer, John Shirreffs, said she might run in the Santa Margarita Handicap on March 13 at Santa Anita, but the Apple Blossom could fit perfectly into the schedules of both horses.

Oaklawn is the one track where both have competed and won, and it is in neutral territory between Zenyatta’s base in California and Rachel Alexandra’s winter headquarters at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

The race is also run over a conventional dirt track and not a synthetic surface, which Jackson has refused to run Rachel Alexandra over. Rachel Alexandra did not race against Zenyatta, who is undefeated in 14 races, in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in October because Santa Anita has a synthetic track.

The Apple Blossom is scheduled to have a $500,000 purse, but Oaklawn could announce that the purse has been increased to help lure both horses.

Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra have both had recent workouts and should be ready to race by early April.

TAO Nightclub hosts the official UFC109 After Party, hosted by RASHAD EVANS & RACHELLE LEAH

Free Slot Play Frenzy Returns To Mohegan Sun

The exciting giveaway where guests can cash in on an extra $20.00 in Free Slot Play is back on Sunday, February 28th

Let the frenzy begin.  Play $10.00 and get $20.00!  Mohegan Sun is bringing back the popular Free Slot Play Frenzy, where guests can double their money at their favorite slot machines on Sunday, February 28th.

Free Slot Play Frenzy will kick off on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 6:00am and go through 1:00pm.  To receive the bonus, guests can insert their Player’s Club card into their favorite slot machine; play $10.00, then remove and reinsert their card to receive the $20.00 in Free Slot Play Bonus. Guests can follow the normal procedure for downloading Free Slot Play Bonus to receive the extra cash.

Play $10.00, get $20.00 is valid for one use only. Participants must be 21 or older. Visit any Player’s Club booth for official rules. Information cards with instructions on how to download Free Slot Play Bonus will be available at any Player’s Club booth on Sunday, February 28th.

Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den Lines Up Stellar Cast Of Headliners

Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg takes the stage February 11th
Rockers SafetySuit are live on February 12th
Sister Sledge Featuring Kathy Sledge heat things up on February 13th
Sophie B. Hawkins makes her Wolf Den debut on February 18th
Alien Ant Farm rocks the joint on February 19th
Country star Buddy Jewell brings some twang on February 20th
Soul Asylum returns to the Den on February 27th

The Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun will continue to thrill this winter, beginning with Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg on Thursday, February 11th, followed by SafetySuit on Friday, February 12th.   Philadelphia natives Sister Sledge Featuring Kathy Sledge will bring soul to the Wolf Den stage on Saturday, February 13th.  Singer/songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins will be live on Thursday, February 18th and Alien Ant Farm will take over on Friday, February 19th.  Country sensation Buddy Jewell is stopping by the Wolf Den on Saturday, February 20th and Soul Asylum returns on Saturday, February 27th.  Wednesday and Thursday Wolf Den shows are at 8:00pm.  Friday and Saturday Wolf Den shows begin at 9:00pm and Sunday shows are at 7:00pm unless otherwise noted.   Admission is free, but all patrons must be 21 or over.

Marky Ramone is best known for the fifteen years he spent drumming for the legendary Ramones. The band is responsible for the big hit, “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Marky shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to tour the world with his new band Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg, with friends Michale Graves (ex-Misfits) on vocals, Alex Kane on guitar and Clare B on bass.

SafetySuit is an extraordinarily-talented, musically-confident young band that does, in fact, inspire. Their songs capture the grandeur and depth of U2, with an imaginative Pop sensibility at its core and a dizzying wall of guitars as its backdrop. “It’s not rocket science,” says singer/guitarist Doug Brown. “Quintessential good melody and good lyrics, that’s what makes a song.”

Sister Sledge Featuring Kathy Sledge became a household name with the release of We Are Family.  The song and the album went on to reach the #1 position on every imaginable chart all over the universe and earned a Grammy nomination. That album also spawned two additional hit songs, “Lost in Music” and “He’s the Greatest Dancer.” As the lead singer of Sister Sledge, Kathy went on to sell several million more albums with many popular singles, including “Got to Love Somebody,” “All American Girls,” “My Guy” and “B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Baby).”

Sophie B. Hawkins emerged in 1992 with a fierce bidding war for her debut album, Tongues & Tails. The Columbia Records release quickly went gold, earned her a Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist” and fired a single, “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover,” into the Top Five. Another gold album, Whaler, followed two years later along with the single, “As I Lay Me Down” that would chart in Billboard for a record-breaking sixty-seven weeks.

Alien Ant Farm burst onto the Alternative Rock scene in 2001 with their platinum-selling album ANThology.  The album spawned the hit single “Movies” as well as a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” which attained crossover appeal in the Pop genre.

Buddy Jewell’s voice is the voice of experience. It has a friendly, “lived in” quality because, as the old saying goes, he has “been around.” Born to a working-class family in Arkansas, Jewell has been singing for his supper since the age of 21, from Texas to Tennessee.

In 1992, Soul Asylum released Grave Dancers Union, a record that would come to transform them from underground college rockers to international superstars. The first two singles off the album, “Somebody To Shove” and “Black Gold,” both came in at high positions at the Modern Rock and Album Rock charts, but it was the album’s third track that led them to their major breakthrough. “Runaway Train” peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, raised album sales to double-platinum level and won Soul Asylum the Grammy Award for “Best Rock Song” in 1994.

For more information on the Wolf Den and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com.  For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.

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