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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Whether he knew it or not, Mike Bean struck what sounded like a new advertisement for Mohegan Sun Pocono.</p><p>People travel from near and far to gamble, dine, shop, attend a concert or show, visit the spa or spend a night or weekend at the hotel. The former Pocono Downs is no longer a one-trick pony and instead offers a myriad of options, including harness racing.</p><p>&#8220;Part of our strategy here at Mohegan Sun Pocono is to give our guests as many reasons to come visit us as we can and the opportunity to have a different experience every visit,&#8221; said Bean, Mohegan&#8217;s president and general manager.</p><p>Mohegan Sun Pocono was chosen best casino in the 2016 Times Leader&#8217;s Readers&#8217; Choice awards and is a three-time winner in that category.</p><p>Bean has been on the scene since 2005, the year the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut acquired Pocono Downs in Plains Township. The Mohegans&#8217; Tribal Authority introduced slot machines a year later and embarked on a journey to develop the property.</p><p>&#8220;We are coming up on our 10-year anniversary. Over the course of that 10 years, we have gone from a racino to a destination resort casino,&#8221; Bean said. &#8220;Thus, our name change from Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs to Mohegan Sun Pocono to reflect the fact that we&#8217;re no longer slot machines and a race track. But now we are a true destination of our own.&#8221;</p><p>Mohegan added Project Sunrise in 2008 to house the slots now numbering 2,300. Table games followed in 2010. In late 2013, the 238-room hotel and 20,000-square-foot conference center opened, along with the 4,000-square-foot Spa Sapphire.</p><p>&#8220;If you look at what we had, which was basically slots machines and a grandstand with a very modest food offering to today, we have 21 bars and restaurants,&#8221; Bean said.</p><p>It doesn&#8217;t stop there. It&#8217;s home to the Wise Crackers Comedy Club, a television cooking show on the weekends and live music almost every day of the week, he said.</p><p>&#8220;We have everything from casual dining at Bar Louie to some nice Tuscany menu at Rustic Kitchen to, in my opinion, one of the best steak houses anywhere in Ruth&#8217;s Chris,&#8221; Bean said. &#8220;And we continue to improve. Ruth&#8217;s Chris has just gone through a very nice renovation. We continue to upgrade our facility and to provide just an outstanding experience for our guests.&#8221;</p><p>Bean paid credit to the staff and employees, nearly 2,000 of them, for earning the award. &#8220;This great team really takes care of our guests every time,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The team and Mohegan&#8217;s offerings &#8220;differentiate&#8221; it from others in the industry, Bean said, and give people a reason to travel from Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York City and three and four hours away.</p><p>&#8220;Our vision is to get more and more people from further and further distances to come more often and stay longer,&#8221; Bean said. &#8220;So we&#8217;ve demonstrated that over the course of 10 years and we plan to continue to do that in the future.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Mike Bean, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun Pocono, said the destination resort casino aims to attract people from further away more often for longer stays. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031616moheganreaderschoice1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mike Bean, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun Pocono, said the destination resort casino aims to attract people from further away more often for longer stays. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031616moheganreaderschoice2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The &#8216;Coal to Diamond&#8217; sculpture greets guests at the casino entrance at Mohegan Sun Pocono. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031616moheganreaderschoice2.jpg</photo1><caption1>The &#8216;Coal to Diamond&#8217; sculpture greets guests at the casino entrance at Mohegan Sun Pocono. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Harness racing still offered, but Mohegan Sun Pocono a destination resort casino and more than a one-trick pony