Randy Goodwin Jr.'s Christmas morning didn't start with presents beneath the tree, but with a roll of the dice. Goodwin of Wethersfield, whose family is all in Pennsylvania, spent his morning at Mohegan Sun playing craps and looking in the shops.

He said he usually doesn't go home for Christmas because he doesn't want to be trapped anywhere by weather. "I'll call my mother later in the day and just kill time until then," Goodwin said.

Christmas morning at the casinos was much slower than a regular Sunday, but there were a few people on the gaming floor and perusing the shops for one reason or another.

Kaicee King of Roxbury, Mass., celebrates Kwanzaa rather then Christmas.

She made her way to the casino to relax.

"I didn't have to cook," King said. "I like that part especially."
Entertainment option

Most people in the crowd wandering the casinos Sunday don't celebrate Christmas and found the casinos as one of the few places open to find a bit of entertainment before the weekend was done.

"I came to see the concert," said Son Lau of Orange, who was drawn in by the Asian concert slate the casinos drew up to attract Asian gamblers. "We're going to do that tonight."

Linda Chu of Westport said her family exchanges presents on Christmas, but doesn't celebrate the religious aspect of the day.

So they come out to the casino to shop and hit the gaming floor.

"We do all of it," Chu said.

There were others who did their family Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve and wanted a little bit of excitement on Christmas Day.

"There's always something going on (at the casinos)," said Joe Gworek of Rocky Hill.

"It was just to be with a lot of people."
Life saver

For one man at Mohegan Sun, the casino saved Christmas.

Bruce Killion of Branford was celebrating with his fiancee's family in Waterford when he realized he needed to do a little more shopping.

"I got a few hints that I needed a few more presents for my fiancee," Killion said. "She opened a few and said, 'These are nice but I'm hoping for x, y and z.' I didn't have them, so I came here."

Killion said having a place to shop saved his hide.

"This is one of the only places that has stores open today," he said.