Indigenous company will run 2 Niagara Falls casinos and entertainment centre

An Indigenous gaming company based in the U.S. will run two Niagara Falls casinos and an entertainment centre for the next 21 years.

Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment (MGE), an extension of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, will operate the Fallsview Casino Resort, Casino Niagara and the 5,000-seat Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre. 

The company will sign a 21-year operating agreement, to start next summer, with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

The agreement is part of a so-called modernization effort that has seen the province divided into gaming bundles, with new rounds of bids for each bundle. These facilities are known as the Niagara gaming bundle.

Ontario Gaming West GTA Limited Partnership was awarded the west GTA gaming bundle, which includes the slots at Flamboro Downs and Casino Brantford, in December.

​MGE's flagship property is the Mohegan Sun, a massive casino and resort in Connecticut, but it also has resorts throughout the U.S. and northern Asia.

The company "plans to leverage the existing Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara sites in conjunction with the future Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre to create a dynamic entertainment experience that is expected to drive increased visitation to Niagara Falls," OLG said in a media release.