Mohegan Sun inks 3-year deal for Miss America competition

Officials with Mohegan Sun Casino have signed three-year deal to keep the Miss America beauty pageant at the Uncasville resort.

Terms of the agreement between the casino’s corporate parent, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, and the Miss America Organization were not released. The 100th anniversary of the Miss America competition will be broadcast live from Mohegan Sun Arena in December 2021

“Following the success of the Miss America 2020 competition at Mohegan Sun, we knew we had created something very special here in Connecticut, and we’re thrilled to be able to host Miss America events and competitions for the next three years at our destination,” Jeff Hamilton, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun said in a statement. “Miss America will now become one of Mohegan Sun’s largest annual events in terms of size, scope and reach.”

John Washko, vice president of exhibitions and convention sales at Mohegan Sun, said the weeklong Miss America competition in December 2019 resulted in the resort’s two hotel towers, Sky Tower and Earth Tower, “filled up well ahead of the events, and hotel revenue slightly exceeded $736,000.”

“Mohegan Sun saw positive business impacts across our resort, including hotel, dining and nightlife,” Washko said. “Miss America 2020 was a weeklong event in mid-December of 2019 that also created a great deal of buzz and positive economic impact to our region as a whole.”

Additionally, he said event-based revenue — destination services as well as food and beverage — was nearly $450,000. The hotel and event-based revenues combined added more than $1.18 million to Mohegan Sun’s bottom line.

“Miss America 2020 brought guests from across the country to Mohegan Sun and southeastern Connecticut, many of whom were firsttime visitors,” Washko said. “We’re really excited to build upon all of the excitement for the next three years.”

The resort casino hosted its first Miss America competition in December 2019, though last year’s event was postponed until this year. Camille Schrier, who was crowned Miss America at the end of 2019, had her term extended for another year.

Shantel Krebs, president and chief executive officer of the Miss America Organization, said the event is iconic, “a champion for social causes, and one of the leading providers of scholarships to women in the country.”

“We are thrilled to have Mohegan Sun join us in this mission,” Krebs, who won Miss South Dakota in 1997 and competed for the Miss America title in 1998, said. “As a leading integrated entertainment resort with a state-ofthe-art venue and innovative vision for hosting events, Mohegan is the ideal partner as we enter into our second century of service to America’s outstanding young women.”

In addition to using Mohegan Sun Arena for the Miss America finals, preliminary competitions will take place at the casino’s 125,000 square foot Earth Expo & Convention Center.