Connecticut's Foxwoods Casino opens renovated Club Newport with 35 high-limit table games

Connecticut's Foxwoods Resort Casino has unveiled the renovated Club Newport, its newly refurbished high-limit gaming area, which officially opened Friday with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Jason Guyot, the Mashantucket Pequot-owned casino's President and Chief Executive Officer, said that Club Newport "marks a monumental shift in high-limit gaming in the United States, setting a new standard for luxury and exclusivity at Foxwoods."

"As the premier gaming destination on the East Coast, we are excited to provide unparalleled opportunities that only Foxwoods can offer," Guyot said. "This groundbreaking new space is designed to cater to our most distinguished guests."

The new area is a "reimagining" of an earlier version of Club Newport, encompassing about 10,000 square feet and featuring 35 high-limit table games where the wagers start at $50 and climb, including mini baccarat, blackjack, craps, pai gow poker, pai gow tiles, face-up pai gow and roulette.

Club Newport is designed to offer patrons an “unmatched gaming experience, with state-of-the-art gaming, luxurious surroundings, and unparallel VIP services,” a press release from Foxwoods says.

New decor includes a gold vaulted ceiling supported by bronze arches and a burgundy glass fixture, chandeliers and "warm pearlescent wallcovering that wraps the room, elegantly trimmed with a cream and gold base and crowned with gold and fluted glass trim."

Two private rooms offer big table baccarat, a rare option in most casinos these days, according to Foxwoods. "I've been to every high-limit room in the United States and this is No. 1, on a par with anything in Las Vegas. It's something we needed to do," Guyot said.

For all its recent emphasis on upgrading its dining options and other non-gaming amenities, Guyot said the Club Newport upgrade shows Foxwoods remains committed to the patrons who hunker down at its slot machines and gaming tables. "They're our bread and butter," The Day quoted him as saying. 

Foxwoods' revenue report for the first quarter, which ended March 31, showed that gaming accounted for nearly three-quarters of the casino's gross revenue, with the rest almost evenly divided among food and beverage, lodging, and retail, entertainment and other.

Apart from the Club Newport’s makeover, Foxwoods has other major improvements planned, including a grand bar spanning the length of the Grand Pequot Casino area, due in the fall. Renovations of hotel rooms and other gaming areas are scheduled to follow.

Rodney Butler, the Mashantucket chairman, noted that Club Newport had not undergone a major facelift since it opened in 1998. "We're in the early innings," he said of transforming other parts of the property.