The Fate Of Foxwoods

As Massachusetts prepares to jump into the gambling pool, we were struck by a piece today in the Boston Globe about the slumping fortunes of Foxwoods — the enormous casino in Connecticut owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Indian tribe.

Not that long ago, Foxwoods was minting money for the tribe: a million dollars a day just from the slots.

It made the tribe rich. And among other things, it allowed them to build a 225 million dollar sprawling museum highlighting Native American history and culture in New England.

But just last month, the tribe closed the museum and laid off most of its staff.

The move is supposedly temporary, but it's an indication of Foxwood's run of bad luck — and dramatic economic decline.

Colin McEnroe, columnist for the Hartford Courant and host of the Colin McEnroe Show on WNPR in Connecticut.