Foxwoods: The Gaming Enterprise The Indian Gaming Rights Act (IGRA), signed into federal law on October 17, 1988, allows the operation of specific types of gaming on the reservations of federally recognized Indian tribes. The Act’s passage provided new opportunities for tribes across the continent, and in February of 1992, the Mashantucket Pequots were preparing to open their Foxwoods casino as a small addition to the existing bingo operation. “We weren’t sure how successful the casino would be,” recalls tribal member Bruce Kirchner.  “It was hard to say – gaming had never been in this area before, Atlantic City was the closest area.  We didn’t plan to have slot machines in the original casino -- it was all table games -- so even the people with experience weren’t quite sure what was going to happen.” Many industry and financial experts felt Mashantucket was too remote to support even a small casino.  Wall Street actually turned the Pequots down in their search for financial backing, and the tribe had to find investors in Malaysia to fund the construction of Foxwoods.  Even the Pequots' optimism at the time was somewhat guarded. “I think everybody felt it would be somewhat successful,” remembers Kirchner.  “I like to put it this way: we knew it would be a home run, but we didn’t know it would be a grand slam.” No one was really prepared for the crowds that mobbed the grand opening of Foxwoods. “The lines of cars were backed up for miles down route 2,” says Kirchner.  “People were parking on the street, and I recall that some people who were frustrated with not being able to get on the property just shut off their cars in the middle of the street, jumped out and walked to the casino.  We initially planned to open 8 hours a day or 12 hours a day, but realized the first day that we couldn’t shut down.  The crowds were just too much.  We asked people to work overtime, and we quickly started hiring new people.  And we haven’t shut the door since.” Bruce Kirchner worked as the Assistant Bingo Managing Director from 1986 to 1993, when he became the Senior Vice President of Administration for the Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprise.  But Mr. Kirchner’s full-time employment with the tribe dates back to 1979, and his near full-time involvement goes back even further, to the tribe’s early self-sufficiency efforts in the 1970s producing maple syrup, growing hydroponic lettuce, and cutting and selling cordwood. “To start with cutting trees to seeing what’s here today gives you a very unique perspective on the progress that’s been made,” he says.  “The success of the casino has generated funds for the tribe to reach a lot of the goals that it has set over time, including researching its own history, and supporting tribal members who are interested in the culture.”