Operator News
US – Nevada Gaming Board wants Steve Wynn declared ‘unsuitable to be associated with the gaming industry’
By Phil - 15 October 2019
The Nevada Gaming Control Board wants the Nevada Gaming Commission to ban Steve Wynn from ever being able to have a gaming licence in the city he shaped, saying he ‘is not a person of good character, honesty, and/or integrity’ and is ‘unsuitable to be associated with a gaming enterprise or the gaming industry as a whole.’
The Control Board stated: “Mr. Wynn has repeatedly violated Nevada’s gaming statutes and regulations, bringing discredit upon the state of Nevada and its gaming industry. He damaged the public’s confidence and trust in an industry that is vitally important to the economy of the State of Nevada and the general welfare of its inhabitants.”
The Control Board also wants the Nevada Gaming Commission to fine Wynn for each of five counts presented in their complaint, including his decision not to appear at a hearing that took place in September.
The board said that Wynn’s non-appearance at the September hearing ‘hindered’ the board’s ability to perform its duty and denied them ‘material information and testimony required to conduct a thorough and complete investigation.’
The Board’s seven-month investigation into Wynn’s conduct found that Wynn’s conduct ‘was not consistent with good character and poses a threat to the public interest of the State of Nevada.’
“The evidence from the investigation demonstrates a pattern of Mr. Wynn recklessly engaging in sexual conduct with subordinate employees, which even if it was consensual as maintained by Mr. Wynn, is oblivious to the significant power imbalance between the CEO of a major gaming company and subordinate employees dependent on Mr. Wynn’s approval for continued employment,” it said.
Wynn Resort’s Chairman Phil Satre said the board hadn’t had ‘any personal or professional relationship’ with Mr. Wynn.
Wynn, famed for opening The Mirage in 1989, Treasure Island in 1993 and the Bellagio in 1998, was charged with sexual misconduct against members of his staff last year.
