Without any warning, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA) CEO Bobby Soper announced his resignation last week, forcing the tribe to fall back on a former chief executive officer, Mitchell Etess as the interim CEO.
Soper, 45, headed the company that operates the Mohegan Sun and other gaming enterprises for the tribe for about two years. He announced that he was leaving to pursue other opportunities—with more than a year remaining on his current contract. Soper, a Mohegan member, was expected to be the long-term leader of the tribe’s business ventures.
The Atlanta, Georgia native had worked for the gaming authority since 2001. Soper called his time with the company “a great run” and said he was now “happy to take on a new challenge.” He didn’t say what the new challenge would be due to “certain confidentiality obligations.” He praised the “significant growth of, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and its properties” under his leadership.
During his time as CEO Soper led the tribe’s expansion out of Connecticut in a big way, with a $500 million casino in Washington in partnership with the Cowlitz Tribe soon to open, and a $1.6 billion gaming and entertainment resort in the works for Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea, which recently was given approval by the government. MTGA also operates the Mohegan Sun Pocono in Pennsylvania, the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City and the Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, Louisiana.
The authority competed robustly for the southeastern gaming license in Massachusetts, although it ultimately lost to MGM Resorts International, and now finds the MGM Springfield poised like a spear aimed at its Connecticut heartland.
Soper leaves on mixed note with revenues up 2.8 percent to $1.02 billion for the fiscal year that ended last September but a net loss of $51.6 million in the final quarter of 2016. At the same time, the authority’s net revenue was $1.3 million in 2016, an increase of 3.3 percent over 2015.
An executive with the company since 2001, Soper was former president and chief executive officer of the Mohegan Sun Pocono. He led the casino’s $208 million “Project Sunrise” expansion in 2008, introduced table games and broke ground on a $50 million hotel in 2012.
Etess, who was Soper’s immediate predecessor as chief executive officer, will take over until the tribe finds a permanent successor. Chuck Bunnell, the tribal chief of staff, Etess, and Kevin Brown, the tribal chairman, all declined to comment about Soper’s resignation.
In a statement, Brown praised Soper’s leadership over the last two years.
“Having served as general manager of both our Connecticut and Pennsylvania properties, Bobby actively pursued the growth of the Mohegan gaming enterprise to ensure its viability and survivability in an ever-increasingly competitive industry, and he helped us achieve important gains across the country and around the world,” said Brown. “The authority is on good footing with its lowest debt-leverage ratio since the recession; combined with the outstanding opportunities presented by a number of management agreements put into place under his stead, MTGA is postured to sustain the tribe for generations to come. Mitchell’s experience, and sustained connection over the past year, will allow us to sustain our progress while we commence the search for a new corporate leader.”
