Free Republic

The signs of the struggling economy are again showing at Mohegan Sun Casino. Thursday night the Mayor of Montville confirmed that casino is laying off hundreds of workers, effective immediately. Mayor Ronald McDaniel said that he's saddened by the news and that it will be difficult for those workers who got pink slips to find new jobs. The New London Day reports that 282 employees were laid off immediately and that another 46 would be let go by the end of October. The newspaper also reports that CEO Jeffrey Hartmann left the casino Wednesday.

PLAINS TWP. – A Hazleton man was charged with leaving a loaded firearm in a men’s room at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs casino. State police gaming enforcement unit charged Anthony Mope, 80, of Thirwell Street, with recklessly endangering another person. The charge was filed with District Judge Diana Malast in Plains Township on Thursday and mailed to Mope. Mope could not be reached for comment on Friday. According to the criminal complaint: A casino employee cleaning restrooms found the firearm on the back of a toilet at about 3:40 p.m. on July 3. State police said the firearm, a...

PLAINS TWP. – A newlywed and two others were cited by township police after a brawl at a bar inside the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs early Saturday morning. Police said the fight erupted after Raymond Roberts, 28, of Pittston, bent down and lifted the wedding gown of a bride at Breakers Bar at about 12:30 a.m. The bride’s husband, Ira Smith, confronted Roberts and knocked him unconscious, police said. Police said the brawl was captured by the casino’s surveillance system. According to a police news release: Marianne Reilly, of Tunkhannock, and her new husband, Smith, arrived at Breakers Bar...

PLAINS TWP. (PA)-- Although thousands of state employees will not be working today because of a budget stalemate, the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs was not forced to shut its doors on patrons at 7 this morning. Bobby Soper, CEO of the casino, received a Commonwealth Court decision around 11:40 p.m. Sunday, in which the court issued a temporary injunction to prevent a shutdown of the state’s casinos. “I’m pleased with the decision allowing us to stay open (today),” he said. “Not only is this great news for the 3,500 employees who work in the five state casinos, but also...

Philadelphia Park opened southeastern Pennsylvania's first slot-machine parlor and the second statewide yesterday, attracting gamblers who said they were happy for a local alternative to the casinos in Atlantic City. Hundreds of people poured in when the doors opened shortly after 11:30 a.m. and began stuffing bills into the machines, and the ca sino enjoyed a brisk business in its first hours of operation. Ines Beiez, 47, a North Philadelphia woman who was one of the first to sit down at a machine, said Philadelphia Park would become her gambling destination of choice. Although she was a frequent patron of...

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Pennsylvania's first slot-machine parlor, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, opened Tuesday to a shower of confetti and rain as the state embarked on its ambitious plan to have gamblers pay for cuts in property taxes. Hundreds of gamblers - mostly senior citizens - poured into the casino as the doors were opened and occupied most of its nearly 1,100 seats in less than 10 minutes. Inside, Wilkes-Barre car dealership manager Vince Esposito was one of the first to start playing, putting a $20 bill into a Double Powerball machine. "That's entertainment," he said as he pushed the...