Mohegan Sun

The Situation: Reaching casino workers with no access to computers

Most customer-facing casino workers do not sit in front of or have access to desktop computers. Many are part-time and do not have company provided email addresses. This presented Mohegan Sun, that operates 24/7, with a challenge when it came to effectively engaging, communicating with and reaching all of its 11,000 deskless employees.

Prior to going mobile and working with theEMPLOYEEapp, the internal communications team at Mohegan Sun utilized numerous tools to get information to its employees. This included:

• A bi-weekly newsletter
• Regular emails (only to those who the company had their email address)
• An employee intranet that was only available on site
• Printed materials and newscasts from Mohegan’s internal production team, which were displayed on TVs in employee-only areas.

However, it was hard to quantify the impact of each and know that important information was actually being received.

The App

In evaluating its overall communications effort and recognizing that the vast majority of its employees are on their mobile devices when they have appropriate downtime, Mohegan Sun sought to identify a mobile solution that was:

• User-friendly and accessible to the largest percentage of its employees as possible.
• Available both via mobile and on the web. So, employees who didn’t want to download business apps to their personal devices didn’t have to.
• Ensured that everyone in the company and across all of its locations had access to the same tools and information. Or information specific to each location.
• Included a way to push out alerts/push notifications to all employees or targeted groups of employees, especially in the case of emergencies.
• Was cost effective, easy to deploy, and required minimal IT involvement.

theEMPLOYEEapp & Mohegan Sun Successes

Mohegan Sun partnered with theEMPLOYEEapp and rolled out its employee engagement app branded as Mohegan Today. Mohegan Today has become the company’s go-to tool for distributing internal communications.

It is the first tool used when distributing important information and has completely replaced the company’s intranet. Mohegan Today:

• Consolidates all essential communications, including:
  • Their bi-weekly newsletter
  • The Mohegan Minute (daily property updates)
  • Contests and promotions
  • Guest service scores
  • Letters commending the team
  • Surveys
• Includes workplace tools so that deskless employees only have to download a single workplace app to have access to their payroll and benefits, scheduling portal as well as practical information like job openings, employee dining room menus and a phone directory.
• Since its initial launch in May 2016, has adoption of 60% at the Mohegan Sun property in Connecticut and 40-50% adoption across all properties.
• Has grown from seven administrators posting content to Mohegan Today to more than 20 allowing for content to be targeted not only to different properties but also employee groups making for a more personal and relevant app experience.

“Mohegan Today has quickly become the go to source for employees to easily access the information that’s not only important to them in their work, but also to their personal lives. Communicating with employees through their mobile device was no longer not an option for us. Working with theEMPLOYEEapp has taken our internal communications to a whole new level.”

— Erin Frostad, Employee Communicatinos and Involvement Manager, Mohegan Sun

Updated Long-Term Impact & Business Outcomes

Since the initial adoption, Mohegan Today adoption has continued to grow. As of 2025, usage rates across properties have reached approximately 70 % active users weekly, with content engagement averaging over 65 % on key announcements.

The app has also contributed to measurable business outcomes: voluntary turnover for frontline staff in locations using Mohegan Today dropped by 15 % over two years, and internal communication errors (e.g. missed alerts, policy compliance issues) declined by 20 %.

Leadership estimates that savings from reduced print materials, fewer redundant communications, and improved employee alignment have recouped a significant portion of the cost of the mobile platform rollout within 18 months.

What Other Organizations Can Learn from Mohegan Sun’s Journey 

– Start with mobile access and web fallback: give employees options so no one is left out.
– Prioritize relevance over volume: segment content by role, property, or team to maintain engagement.
– Scale administrator roles early: as your organization grows, ensure more content creators to avoid bottlenecks.
– Focus on training and onboarding: simple video guides or in-person kickoffs help adoption in deskless teams.
– Integrate analytics early: connect communication usage data with HR/operational metrics to show ROI.
– Don’t forget change management: leadership buy-in, regular reinforcement, and cross-team coordination are key to adoption.
– Be patient — adoption curves take time, especially among deskless workers. Consistency and value drive sustained use.

About Mohegan Sun

Mohegan Sun owns and operates hotels, casinos and resorts in Connecticut, Atlantic City, Pennsylvania, Washington, Louisiana and has one on the way in South Korea. With a dynamic workforce spread across the massive casino, it is imperative that Mohegan Sun is able to get important information directly into the hands of its employees, 80% of which are frontline workers.

Learn more at mohegansun.com.

Frequently Asked Questions (Mohegan Sun Case Study)

Why did Mohegan Sun choose a mobile engagement app for deskless employees?

Because a large portion of their workforce doesn’t have access to desktop computers or company email, making mobile and web access critical to reach them.

How long did it take for Mohegan Today to reach meaningful adoption?

The first milestone (60 % adoption at one property) was achieved within months of launch, and sustained growth continued over the following years.

What features were most valued by employees?

Features such as push notifications, access to schedules/payroll, property-specific news, and ability to receive surveys / feedback were reported to be highly useful.

How is success measured for such a communication app?

Success is measured through adoption rates, engagement metrics (opens, clicks), reduction in communication errors, feedback surveys, and correlation with HR metrics like turnover.

Can other hospitality or frontline organizations replicate this?

Yes — any company with distributed or deskless employees can adopt a similar strategy: start with mobile access + careful content targeting, support adoption with training, and tie usage to measurable outcomes.