The hearings to determine whether or not Wynn Resorts should be allowed to continue in Massachusetts are expected to begin this week. Organized by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), the casino operator is going to be put under the microscope for allowing its founder and former CEO, Steve Wynn, to lead an alleged lifestyle of sexual impropriety against employees in the organization. One of those to testify during the hearings is Wynn’s ex-wife, Elaine Wynn.
After Steve Wynn resigned from the company early last year, Elaine, now the largest shareholder in the company, stepped in to right the ship. She will be involved heavily in the hearings, which are expected to get underway on Tuesday, April 2.
The MGC is expected to discuss, among other things, the findings from an investigation led by the commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau regarding whether or not executives at Wynn Resorts intentionally covered up Steve Wynn’s activity when the company was applying for a gambling license in Massachusetts in 2013.
Earlier this year, Wynn Resorts reached a deal with the Nevada Gaming Control Board over the Steve Wynn debacle. It admitted at the time that some executives at the company were aware of the former leader’s improprieties, and that those individuals had been let go. However, that affirmation only fueled the case against the company that it was aware all along of what Steve Wynn was doing.
If the MGC determines that Wynn Resorts is not worthy of retaining its $85-million license in the state, the five members of the commission could revoke it and allow another casino operator to come in and take over the Encore Boston Harbor project, for which Wynn is putting up $2.6 billion.
Steve Wynn has often accused his ex of being the source of the sexual misconduct rumors, firmly asserting that he didn’t do anything wrong. This, despite the fact that Wynn Resorts has acknowledged that he is, to a degree, guilty. He said in January 2018 “The instigation of these accusations is the continued work of my ex-wife Elaine Wynn, with whom I am involved in a terrible and nasty lawsuit in which she is seeking a revised divorce settlement. Elaine has explicitly threatened to slander and destroy me and I am surprised that the media is allowing itself to be used to advance this agenda.”
Along with Elaine Wynn, several other high-ranking Wynn officials will be on hand for the hearings. These include company CEO Matthew Maddox, Executive VP Ellen Whittemore, board chairman Philip Satre and James Stern, the company’s head of security.
