Rodney A. Butler since 2010 has been chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, owner of Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is undergoing a period of major growth.
Butler has been an influential presence at the state Capitol, advocating for various issues over the years to protect and expand the Mashantucket Pequot’s business interests.
For example, he was a key player in negotiating Connecticut’s adoption of legalized sports betting and online casino gambling in 2021. As part of the deal, Foxwoods was one of only three entities — in addition to Mohegan Sun casino and the Connecticut Lottery Corp. — eligible for a sports wagering license.
That added a new revenue stream for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Foxwoods, which has directly deposited over $4.6 billion in slot revenue into the state’s budget fund since 1993.
Foxwoods, which recently celebrated its 32nd anniversary, is going through other expansions. Construction is ongoing on the state’s first Great Wolf Lodge family hotel and resort — a 91,000-square-foot indoor water park and family entertainment center that will debut next year on 13 acres adjacent to Foxwoods’ Ledyard campus.
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Foxwoods last summer debuted the Pequot Woodlands Casino in its Grand Pequot Concourse. It spans 50,000 square feet and contains more than 430 slot machines, a 40-seat slot bar, 24 table games and a high-limit slot room, among other things.
Butler is a UConn graduate with a degree in finance who played defensive back for the Huskies’ football team. He worked in the finance department at Foxwoods before joining the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council in 2004.
He worked his way up from Tribal Council treasurer to chairman over the years, and even had a stint as interim CEO of Foxwoods.
He was the 2019 recipient of the “Citizen of the Year” award from the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce.