Inside Asian Gaming

JUNE 2018 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 21 COVER STORY traffic corridor in Northern Asia. It’s going to be very unique – I think that’s number one. Number two, I don’t think Korea has seen this scale of integrated resort and entertainment resort that we are looking to build before, so that’s going to be brand new for everybody in Korea and I think that’s going to knock people over. People are very excited about that. Number three, I think it is very important to differentiate the fact that representing a tribe is very different from your average corporate brand. We as a tribe, our main goal is to ensure the sustainability and continuity of our constituents for not just one year, not just five years, but for 13 generations. I think that our mindset is longer and a much longer-term mindset matches very well with the long-term planning that is evident here in Asia. Folks know that we are not here to eat and run. Folks know that we are here for a very, very long term and that we are going to be part of the fabric of the society in the exact same way that we are in the United States. That is a very, very big differentiating factor for us. So those are just a couple of reasons why. MC: Hard Rock [owned by Florida’s Seminole tribe] said the same thing about thinking long term. MK: Lots of tribes can make those type of statements, but only one tribe has got the Northern Asia exposure in the location that we do in Incheon. FELIX RAPPAPORT FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO Ben Blaschke: We’re talking at the Japan Gaming Congress. What brings Foxwoods to Tokyo? Felix Rappaport: Foxwoods is one of the largest IRs in North America. We were the third jurisdiction legally after Nevada and New Jersey, so it’s only natural for us after being in business for 26- plus years with 6.5 million people in our database that we explore opportunities to share our expertise and look at new markets to potentially brand a Foxwoods property. We very actively look all across the United States and we are also willing to look globally. We think we bring certain advantages that perhaps other companies don’t have, not the least of which is experience. We think the combination of our brand, our database, our experience and the experience of our team makes us potentially a very good partner in Japan. But I would also say that our approach – we are all about win-win situations, unlike some companies that might come through a new jurisdiction and think that they don’t need help or don’t need partners. We are very culturally sensitive. We are the first full-service tribal gaming company and so we’re very respectful of culture and history. We’re probably the only company here with its own museum. An artist’s impression of Mohegan’s Korean IR Inspire in Incheon, which is expected to break ground this year.