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Mohegan sun at Pocono downs New facility set to open July 17

July 9, 2008

Final countdown on for new, improved casino

By Ron Bartizek rbartizek@timesleader.com
Business & Consumer / City Editor

PLAINS TWP. – The countdown has begun, and all systems are go nine days before the scheduled opening of a new casino at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.

Navigating around workers during an informal tour of the new 300,000-square-foot casino, Chief Executive Bobby Soper expressed confidence that the July 17 debut would go off as planned, following a July 15 invitation-only test that benefits United Way of the Wyoming Valley.

“People who haven’t been through a project like this say, ‘How can you possibly make it,’ ” Soper said. “But those who have think we’re in good shape.”

On Tuesday, nearly all of the 2,150 slot machines at the center of the circular building were in place while the surrounding restaurants, bars and shops were in various states of completion. Downs Vice President of Marketing Jim Wise said things are more hectic behind the scenes.

“Two years ago was dramatically easier than this,” Wise said, referring to the opening of a temporary casino in November 2006. That’s because he has to balance drawing crowds to the present facility’s 1,200 slot machines with promoting the arrival of “a diversified destination” that will offer more than gambling.

Jim Cafarelli has been on site daily to prepare for the opening of his third Rustic Kitchen restaurant, which will feature a studio where chef Kate Gabriel will share cooking techniques and diners can sample food and wine selections. Cafarelli said he thought of the concept a decade ago while running the House of Blues chain, which paired food and music. There are other venues where chefs cook before a live audience, but none that he knows of incorporated into a restaurant except for his Boston location, where the shows sell out weeks in advance.

“We don’t think it exists anywhere else in the country,” Cafarelli said. The first local show will likely be held in early August, after the crew works the bugs out of an installation that includes five high-tech cameras remotely manipulated from an overhead control room. Some of the shows will be taped and broadcast on a local television station and video clips will be used for promotional purposes.

Next door to Rustic Kitchen, the Dallas-based Metz Group is putting the finishing touches on a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the first in the region. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Metz said the 270-seat upscale restaurant will host a series of private parties beginning Monday.

Metz Group also will operate a Wolfgang Puck Express eatery, managed by local chef Jack Godwin, in the casino’s food court. Several retail shops and a bar/nightclub are situated a little farther along the carpeted walkway that circles the gaming floor.

Wise said the dining and retail amenities are designed to attract patrons, “whether they play slots or not.” The quality of fit and finish, “will feel as if they’re in a major market,” he said.

When the new casino opens, about 350 slot machines will remain on the ground floor of the interim casino adapted from the former racetrack grandstand. The small food court there will close, to be replaced by a private function room. But existing entrances to both the interim casino and racing areas will remain open; escalators and stairs connect the two buildings.

Mother and daughter Judy Viau and Connie Rute of Milton were only vaguely aware that a new gambling and entertainment center was on the horizon. Viau recalled getting a mailer that mentioned the expansion, but it didn’t sink in until they pulled up for a few hours of fun Tuesday morning.

Sisters Ruth Davis and Dorothy Sviatko of Lackawanna County were more enthusiastic, and Davis said more machines would be the draw to attract them more frequently.

“I think our trips to Atlantic City and Mount Airy will be less,” Sviatko said.

Wise said the low-key promotion, including a ban on inside photographs, has been intentional. He thinks that while people expect the new casino to be attractive, they are underestimating its appeal and he doesn’t want to tip his hand before opening day.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority of Connecticut purchased the harness track and approximately 400 acres for $280 million in January 2005. A subsequent deal with seller Penn National Gaming took $30 million off the price and the Mohegans spent about $70 million to build the interim casino and another $208 million on the permanent facility.

Ron Bartizek, Times Leader business editor, may be reached at 970-7157.

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