Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut has its first permanent CEO in more than a year with the appointment Tuesday of tribal gaming executive John J. James by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council.
James, who is currently chief operating officer of the Morongo Casino Resort in Southern California, will join Foxwoods on Aug. 12. He takes over following the death in June 2018 of CEO Felix Rappaport. Tribal Chairman Rodney Butler took over as the casino’s interim CEO shortly thereafter.
John J. James
James has more than 25 experience in Native American gaming resort operations in California, Florida and Arizona.
Butler said the new CEO is “uniquely positioned” to lead the 2,200-room resort and casino, one of two tribal resorts in Connecticut.
“With his proven track record for innovation, John is the right leader to continue that commitment to our guests, fulfill our vision and ignite our passion for delivering a resort that excites and surprises,” Butler said in a statement. “John perfectly represents our team’s values and beliefs, and we are ready to drive the future of Foxwoods together.”
Prior to joining Morongo, James was CEO for Gila River Gaming Enterprises, Inc. where he led the tribe’s three casinos in achieving the highest recorded earnings in Arizona. He also held chief executive roles at Seminole Gaming, Inc. and Pechanga Resort and Casino in California.
James, a Cleveland native and graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, also served as an executive with several Station Casinos properties in Las Vegas.
“Foxwoods is the premier destination in the Northeast and a pioneer in the tribal gaming community, and I’m thrilled to be joining their stellar team,” James said. “Over the past 27 years, Foxwoods and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation have built a world-class resort casino. I look forward to working with the entire team to continue fortifying Foxwoods’ position as one of North America’s premier resort destinations.”
Rappaport, who died of heart disease, had been Foxwood’s CEO since 2014. He was credited by Butler with “modernizing and growing” the resort.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
