Four second-place finishes in the 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards put Mohegan Sun back among the country's most recognized casino-resort destinations, with its dining program earning a prominent share of the recognition. The Connecticut property placed second in Best Casino Hotel, Best Casino Outside of Las Vegas, and Best Casino for Slots — a category it won outright in 2025 — while The Farm Italy at Mohegan Sun claimed the runner-up position for Best Casino Restaurant. The resort's loyalty program, Momentum, also drew national recognition in the Best Players' Club category.
Dining as a Differentiator
The Farm Italy's 10Best placement arrives alongside a separate distinction: OpenTable recently named the modern Italian concept one of its Top 100 Restaurants in the U.S. For hospitality operators, the dual recognition reinforces a wider industry pattern in which casino-resort dining programs are treated as primary draws rather than amenities. Properties that invest in full-service, chef-driven concepts increasingly convert one-night gaming trips into multi-day destination stays, a strategy that directly affects food-and-beverage revenue per available room.
A Record ACM Milestone
Separate from the 10Best results, Mohegan Sun Arena claimed its ninth ACM "Casino of the Year – Arena" award at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards, voted on by ACM members spanning artists, talent buyers, promoters, and producers. The 10,000-seat venue hosts more than 100 concerts annually. Joe Soper, VP of Sports & Entertainment for Mohegan, credited the sustained recognition to the team's commitment to a diverse entertainment lineup that consistently draws sold-out crowds. The arena's track record demonstrates how live entertainment programming directly supports food, beverage, and hospitality revenue across a resort ecosystem — a model increasingly studied in the broader hospitality sector.
The arena milestone lands as Mohegan Sun prepares for its 30th anniversary celebration, which includes headline performances from Alanis Morissette, Foo Fighters, John Mayer, Lainey Wilson, and DJ Cassidy's Pass The Mic Live! Lainey Wilson, the ACM's recent Entertainer of the Year, is scheduled to perform October 10th as part of the birthday programming. For resort operators, milestone anniversary events of this scale represent high-yield periods that stress-test kitchen output, bar service, and hotel occupancy simultaneously — making award-season credibility a useful marketing lever heading into a busy fall calendar.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
