Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment has announced the appointment of Ray Pineault as its new president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.
He had been acting as Interim CEO for since the end of March, when the tribal operator announced that his predecessor Mario Kontomerkos would be replaced.
Pineault’s rise has been rapid. Two years ago his responsibilities were limited to the flagship Mohegan Sun property. Then he was appointed to the newly-created post of regional president, with overall responsibility for three properties in the United States. Last summer he was promoted again to chief operating officer. Now the latest round of promotions puts him squarely in the top seat.
“I want to congratulate fellow tribal member Ray Pineault as he assumes the role of president and chief executive officer for Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment,” said James Gessner, Jr., chairman of the Mohegan Tribe and MGE Management Board. “We are tremendously lucky to have someone of Ray’s caliber, experience, and intellect taking on this role. His grasp of our organization and all its moving parts across nine worldwide properties is unmatched. Having someone with these abilities come from within our tribal membership makes this day all the more meaningful. Today is a proud day for the Mohegan Nation.”
Pineault himself added, “I have dedicated my career to ensuring the success of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, and I look forward to the immense growth, development, and accomplishments we will achieve in this next chapter together. I am grateful to the Mohegan Tribe for this opportunity and will work tirelessly to uphold our values and traditions, both here in the United States and in the communities around the world in which we operate.”
Mohegan’s main connections to the Asian market at present are two.
First of all, it has been building the Inspire Korea IR in Incheon, South Korea, since gaining a local license in 2016, although at latest word its opening has been delayed to around 2023. The price tag for Phase 1 of this project was originally set at about US$1.6 billion, with a US$5 billion budget overall in multiple phases.
The second connection is that Mohegan has partnered with Oshidori in a bid to build an IR in Nagasaki, Japan.
Bobby Soper, a former Mohegan CEO, has recently been brought in to lead Mohegan’s Asian expansion plans in both Korea and Japan.
