On AAugust 2, 1876, a gun man walked into the Saloon #10 in Deadwood, in the Black Hills, Dakota Territory. A tall man with long dark hair and a mustache.
He wanted to sit with his back to the wall, so he could watch the people in the saloon and so no one could come up behind him. He could not get a chair in the corner against the wall, so he set down at the poker table with his back to the crowd in the bar. Jack McCall came up behind the gun man and shot him in the head. The gunman's hand was 2 aces and 2 eights and they think the fifth card had not yet been dealt. The hand to this day is called the dead man's hand.
Today at the Mohegan Sun Casino, where poker is still played, we have in the business end of the casino aces and eights. A good bet at the Black Jack table would be an ace and an eight (19). Eight is a good bet at craps, there are the most combinations of making the number eight then any other combination in throwing two (2) dice.
The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (Mohegan Tribal Council) Just released the loss of business on slot machines from January 2009 compared to January 2008, a loss of 8.7%. This 8.7% drop follows drops in slots in compared to the year before, for four (4) straight months. December was 4.3%, November was 5.3% and October was 9.1%. The total win for January was $62.4 million of which the MTGA sent $15.6 million to the State of Connecticut.
Remember, these losses, are losses on top of losses from the year before. The eight in this case 8.7% is really bad news.
Foxwoods Resorts Casino and the MGM Grand at Foxwoods had a loss in January compared to January a year ago of 7.3% for a slot win of $52.9 million. Atlantic City casinos averaged a 9.6% drop in slots in January compared to the year before. The Rhode Island casinos averaged a decrease in slot wins from the year before in January of 5.8%
The good news is that the hold percentage for the Mohegan Sun Casino for January was 8.7% compared to 8.2% the year before. Mitchell Etess, the Chief Executive Officer for the Mohegan Sun said, "All in all, considering the weather and the overall economic conditions, it could be worse." Etess talking about the economy and business said, " It ebbs and it flows. As i said, I wouldn't read too much into our December number because the previous December was so bad.."
The MTGA (the Mohegan Tribal Council) only took an eight (8%) percent pay cut. Casino executives making in the same salary levels took a ten percent (10%) salary cut. Workers in the Mohegan Sun gave up more than our Mohegan Tribal Councilors. Maybe it is time for the Mohegan Tribal Council to step up. Maybe it is time for them to do the right thing. Could it be they believe do as I say and not as I do? What do you think?
The MTGA (the Mohegan Tribal Council) has voted on some critical business decisions ant the votes were eight to one (an ace). On the vote for the new Ethics Ordinance the vote was 8 to 1. On the new Restriction of Information Ordinance, oh sorry I did it again, the "Freedom of Information Ordinance" the vote was 8 to 1. The temporary facility at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs was 8 to 1. The permanent new facility at Pocono Downs, the vote was 8 to 1. The building of the new Government Community Center Building over looking Route 2 was 8 to 1.
The ace was Mark Hamilton. The eight was the rest of the Tribal Council. In my opinion, the majority of the Tribal Council did not make very good decisions. The Tribal Council seems to believes in a unified vote. The votes were unified but they were wrong. Bad decisions.
Maybe these people (the Tribal Council) have dealt us (the Mohegan Tribe) a dead man's hand. Eights (8) and Aces (1) with one card still not dealt. Do you think they have been doing it right for the Mohegan Tribe/ Should we hold the accountable? Is it the economy or bad decisions?
Should they go? What do you think?
The man who was fatally shot in the head was "wild Bill" Hickok. He was buried on Boot Hill overlooking Deadwood, South Dakota. In a grave laying next to him, in eternity, is his friend Calamity Jane.
The hand was eights (8) and aces (1). The hand is called the dead man's hand.
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4 comments:
First, Love the blog. Don't ever stop, daily reader.
O.K. here's the issue I'm having...The casino is showing a net profit not a net lose. What about the table game revenues? Where's that figue? The Tribal Counsel cuts our pay and benifits yet it's all based on TRUST US. Trust what? Everyone from the ground up is willing to help, however when your not getting all the facts it's hard to feel sympathetic towards the Counsel. Does the Tribal Counsel have sovereignty from the core values? In the very beginning Bill Velardo had his management team read BUILT TO LAST a visionary book on business. Has anyone in the Counsel read this? This was the inspiration for how this company would be successful. Has to much time passed by for the Tribal Counsel to remember life before the casino? We saw what that "get mine mentality" did for the economy.Is that the road we are now traveling? It's time for a change in direction. I have an invested interest in the success of this casino and the tribe. With that said, my interest in the direction of this company is one of good intention.
Weegwasum - may you live happily
Can you imagine if the United States Congress voted in unity what kind of world we would be living in? You can't have one ace,it just won't work like that and we need to make some serious decisions in the upcoming election.
Some of the latest events with the financial crisis and how the decisions were made is unacceptable for me. You just don't do things the way they did with percentage cuts and the government layoffs. I was so very disapointed.
Please keep this blog up, it's great.In response to the first comment you are so right in why we don't trust the council. It's not that we want to not trust them but when we are denied information or told after the fact we feel betrayed and it's not a good feeling. I wish the council would take notice of how the casino executives run our business. Bill Velardo started us off and Mitchell Etess is doing a great job. Maybe he could manage the Tribe??
Every Tribal Member should read "Built To Last" Bill Velardo had a vision which has been lost with the current management at Mohegan Sun. Mitchell should have learned from his past leader, but has let that go astray..
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