Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut has announced it is teaming up with Victory Square Ventures to launch “Foxwoods and Victory Square Ventures Living Lab,” to develop new interactive gaming and wagering entertainment technology.
The announcement came two weeks ago at the Traction Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia and was described as a way for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, owners of the largest casino in North America, to expand online and tap into the growing number of states that are legalizing online gaming.
Victory Square Ventures, which is based in Vancouver, uses what it describes as a “studio approach” to help startups enter the web, mobile applications, gaming and the film industry. It has done this in 24 countries with 40 companies.
Felix Rappaport, president and CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino, announced “Foxwoods is thrilled to partner with Victory Square Ventures, joining two of the most innovative minds in the gaming industry,” adding, “The Living Lab is an exciting enterprise that represents not only the next step in Foxwoods’ gaming evolution, but our commitment to leading the transformation of the industry as a whole and continuously giving guests unique experiences that excite. This is the future of gaming.”
Victory Square’s managing partner Ray Walia added, “At Victory Square Venture [Capital Incorporated], we are actively on the lookout for new products, services, and platforms that engage and entertain today’s millennial and “Generation Z” audiences,” and “It is really exciting for us to be able to partner with a forward-thinking group like Foxwoods and not only work alongside its experienced team but also entertain and engage its current and future guests. We can’t wait to tap into our international pool of entrepreneurs and engineers and start deploying interactive solutions into the Foxwoods And Victory Square Ventures Living Lab.”
In May Foxwoods became the second Indian casino to introduce skill-based video machines from GameCo Incorporated. Last year the tribe launched FoxwoodsOnline, a free play service that offers more than 100 online non-money casino games.
High Flying
In a separate but related development Foxwoods announced last week that it will add the Highflyer Zipline” this summer, providing a thrilling ride over 33 stories from the top of Fox Tower to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center—a track of 3,750 feet long.
The ride, which will actually consist of four parallel lines, will reach speeds of as much as 60 mph. Its introduction will coincide with the casino’s 25th anniversary and will represent another in a series of non-gaming amenities that the tribe is employing to diversify the resort’s attractions and revenue stream. In 2015 the casino resort added the Tanger outlet shopping center.
