Gambling-Fueled Connecticut Sun Eye First WNBA Title

Mohegan CEO Ray Pineault’s phone was ringing off the hook in the early days of May.

Executives, cohorts and friends were clamoring to get tickets to watch Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s pro debut against the Connecticut Sun, which is owned by the Mohegan tribe, a Native American group that manages and owns entertainment resorts in the United States and Canada. He was the bearer of bad news, as the May 14 season opener sold out faster than any home game in the Sun’s 25-year franchise history. It was one of 11 sellouts that the WNBA franchise had this season, including Wednesday’s series-clinching 87-81 win over Clark and the Fever in the first round of the playoffs.

More from Sportico.com

“Kudos to her, she’s a fantastic player,” Pineault said. “You can see the statistics. But we also have fantastic players on our team who have shown their mettle, strength and competitiveness on the court.”

The Sun, which have seen year-to-year increases in nearly all business categories from group sales to TV viewership, are looking to capture their first WNBA championship as they ride the momentum from the league’s banner year. The first pro sports team to be owned by a Native American tribe has reached the WNBA Finals four times but is still chasing that elusive title. The semifinals-bound Sun look to finally get over the hump this year, all while playing a pivotal role in the overall business strategy for Mohegan.

The growth in women’s sports has been beneficial for Mohegan, but so has the explosion of online sports betting and gambling. The Sun’s current playoff run comes amid high moments for the team’s parent company, which operates the Mohegan Sun Arena located inside its casino complex in Uncasville, Conn. Last month Mohegan reported its highest quarterly net revenues in company history, up 21% year-over-year to $504 million (with big help from Inspire, a new $5 billion resort at Incheon International Airport in South Korea).

The Sun have a symbiotic relationship with the company’s flagship casino resort, which offers 3,495 slot machines, 245 table games and a FanDuel Sportsbook. The franchise is led by WNBA All-Star Alyssa Thomas and Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington, and has a strong fan base who trek to the isolated resort destination and often want to extend their good time beyond the in-game experience.

“It certainly creates excitement and visitation while adding to the overall vibe of the property,” Pineault said. “It fills seats in restaurants before and after the games. It also helps with other parts, like some people will stay over after (night) games. If you don’t want to drive home, you can stay over. It’s a great enhancement for the property.”

The Sun, the first profitable team in the WNBA, have come a long way since the Mohegan tribe purchased the struggling Orlando Miracle for about $10 million and moved the team to its territory in 2003. It didn’t come without opposition, as detractors felt bringing a team to a casino resort could be problematic for a family-friendly league. The list of critics included the NBA, which was hesitant to greenlight the move before approving.

“There was a lot of pushback,” former Sun general manager and chief operating officer Chris Sienko said. “It’s so different than what people perceived it to be (versus) what it was in reality. … It creates so much other opportunity besides gaming.”

He added that such a mix was “taboo at one time, but today it’s fun entertainmen,t and if you go to Mohegan Sun, you can see a variety of things.”

The Sun was the first individually owned, non-NBA-owned team, and has managed to build on a fan base that grew up around the storied women’s basketball program at the University of Connecticut. Mohegan continues to look for dynamic ways to attract non-core fans and cross-promote against its other assets while extending its reach to other markets such as Boston—where the Sun hosted the first WNBA game played at TD Garden last month. The Sun played in front of more than 19,000 fans in a 69-61 win over the Los Angeles Sparks.

Unlike the Sparks, the beneficiaries of a Hollywood backdrop, the Sun must be more creative when attracting players, due to competing in the smallest market in the league. Free hotel rooms and tickets to concerts at the resort may not be enough to secure top players moving forward, as WNBA free agency becomes more competitive, which coincides with league expansion.

“It depends what players are looking for,” ESPN analyst Andraya Carter said. “Sometimes new organizations and the unknown can cause more anxiety than a place where you know exactly what you’re going to get, and in Connecticut you do know that for the most part. But what’s really going to make free agency more competitive than anything else are the facilities that teams are building.”

Thomas and other Sun players complained again last week about having to share the practice court ahead of their opening game against the Fever, as tribe members get priority use of the community center gym where the team practices. This has meant navigating practice with loud music from a birthday party or a Pilates class on the other side of a court divider. Meanwhile, other teams like Phoenix and Las Vegas have created their own standalone practice facilities. Pineault says he has heard the complaints and had internal discussions about a potential facility.

“As the league continues to grow and expand, we have to stay up with what’s happening,” he said. “We want to keep an eye on how things are evolving, especially with the new media rights deal, which will have impact in many areas. We’re a small market team in southeastern Connecticut but have a strong and loyal fanbase and want to continue to put a competitive product on the floor. If we keep doing that, we’ll bring home a championship one of these days.”

The fight to attract talent will also be impacted by the league’s next collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The current CBA expires following the 2027 season, but both the league and player’s union can choose to opt out by a Nov. 1 deadline this year that would move the expiration date to next October.

The Sun outplayed the Fever and the AP Rookie of the Year but now face a greater challenge in the Minnesota Lynx in the semifinal round starting Sunday. Regardless of the outcome, Sienko, who spent 14 seasons with the Sun, looks back with fond memories and believes the franchise under Mohegan ownership still sets an example for the whole league.

“[We] proved that the business model works,” he added. “While they’re paying more money (to buy) teams these days, ownership groups are creating viable business interest for themselves and the communities. If nothing else, it proved long ago that teams can be successful and profitable, with opportunity for continued growth moving forward.”

Best of Sportico.com

Sign up for Sportico’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.