Opened in 1992 with 4,500 slot machines and more than 250 table games, Foxwoods is actually looking to cut down on some of the gaming options to free up space for nightclubs and other new attractions. But no, the largest casino resort in the continent is fairly close to the shores of Southeastern Connecticut.Īctually spread across six casinos, five hotels, and a bevy of dining, shows, golf, and spa options, the massive Foxwoods complex might as well be Vegas of the Northeast. Although Benedict gives each of his key characters equal consideration in his engrossing study, it's Haywood who ultimately captures the reader's interest with his astounding evolution from drunken wife batterer to thoughtful, skilled visionary.If you were to guess where the largest casino in North America was, your mind would probably go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City. While the book bogs down after these initial victories, it revives with the story of the creation and building of Foxwoods, which opened on February 14, 1992, after a firestorm of controversy and political bloodletting. Linking a chain of brief scenes, Benedict re-creates the first legal battles in Maine and Congress (which resulted in a historic 1980 federal law and an $81.5 million settlement for the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes) and the subsequent brilliant maneuvering by Haywood, Tureen and their team to override President Reagan's veto of a bill granting Haywood's Pequot tribe regulatory control over its reservation. Despite the stiff competition between tribes for limited federal funds, this trio set out to convince Washington lawmakers to recognize their petition for compensation in cash and land based on a history of seized property. Benedict tells the story through the lives of three pivotal players: rebellious, unkempt tribal chief Richard ''Skip'' Haywood, self-sacrificing white attorney Tom Tureen and Maine's worldly commissioner of Indian affairs, John Stevens. In this chronicle of Foxwoods, the world's largest, richest casino, Benedict salutes the ingenuity and tenacity of several Native American tribes that have weathered regional infighting, political intrigue, legal wrangling and financial challenges to realize their dream of economic prosperity and cultural survival.

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