Whoever killed reporter Jeff German may not be too terribly smart. Las Vegas Metro released photos of its prime suspect, dressed in “a bright orange reflective long-sleeve shirt, a pair of jeans and a straw hat that covered much of his face. He was also seen carrying a dark gym bag over his shoulder.” The hat covers so much of the face that one can’t even be sure it was a he. If this person was trying to be conspicuous, they succeeded. Metro’s working theory is that “the alleged killer was surveying the area to commit other crimes before German’s homicide Friday.” Wouldn’t it be bitterly ironic if the Las Vegas reporter with the most enemies in town died at the hands of some random, panicked prowler with bad fashion sense?
Is Wynncore still a haven for Steve Wynn minions doing the master’s bidding? That’s the allegation of a new lawsuit, which accuses Wynn Resorts of retaliating against a massage therapist and creating a hostile work environment to this day. Her crime? Being Steve Wynn’s “on-call sexual servant.” According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Brenna Schrader “was subjected to rape and sexual assaults beginning in 2012 until 2018 by either Mr. Wynn or a VIP guest and was required to remain on call for Mr. Wynn’s sexual satisfaction. This left Plaintiff unable to defend herself or escape and, in many instances, exhibiting symptoms of Stockholm syndrome.” Whether you sympathize with that argument or not, there can be no doubt that Steve Wynn’s sultan-like behavior typified the worst aspects of Sin City, aided and abetted by former Las Vegas Review-Journal leadership, which swept the story under the rug way back in 1998.
The accusation that Wynn used Brenna as an unnamed high roller’s personal perk over a three-year period is new to the public record and sounds like the sort of thing Hugh Hefner used to do with girlfriends like Marilyn Cole … and if true, is no less deplorable. What Wynn Resorts might find more concerning are charges of racketeering, the sort of thing the feds love to look into. The suit also alleges a pattern of sexual abuse dating back to 1992. We can believe it. Steve Wynn’s sexual exploits were an open secret when we hit town in 1999 and he evidently didn’t back off until the Wall Street Journal caught him dead to rights three years ago.
Regarding the quasi-RICO complaint, attorney Robert Eglet explained, “This is a criminal enterprise we allege that they were operating here, providing sex services to high rollers and essentially sexually enslaving certain female employees.” Those are strong words and we doubt Eglet would utter them without having something to back it up. Adds the legal document itself, “Defendants are culpable persons associated with an enterprise engaged in a pattern of prostitution, pandering, battery, sexual assault, and involuntary servitude, which constitute racketeering.”
Among the supposed malefactors named in the suit is ex-exec Maurice Wooden, who reportedly tried to rally the workforce around an embattled Steve Wynn, a PR campaign which “created an atmosphere where many employees began to call Mr. Wynn’s accusers ‘sluts’ and ‘prostitutes.’” Also, despite high-profile anti-harassment policies at Wynncore, the hostile work environment of old is allegedly still in place today.“Defendants are attempting to create an atmosphere so hostile that Plaintiff will be forced to resign.” The Schrader allegations, if nothing else, raise questions about Wynn Resorts’ commitment to a sexism-free environment. After all, when then-CEO Matt Maddox was fined $500,000 by Massachusetts regulators for aiding and abetting past misdeeds, Wynn Resorts paid the penalty on his behalf, as if to pat him on the head and say, “Boys will be boys.”
B Global founder Brendan Bussmann has a gloomy outlook on sports betting in California, describing the current campaign as “a race to the bottom … a dogpile on Initative 427 as both [political] parties have now come out and said ‘no-go’ on mobile sports betting. Additionally, a parade of elected officials also came out as opposed to the initiative.” Even though we’re 10 weeks from a vote, Bussmann says Proposition 27, backed by most of the non-tribal gaming industry, is “dead on arrival. This is not to say that it cannot be resurrected, but having died the death of a thousand cuts once makes it nearly impossible for recovery in the land of ballot measures.”
As for rival Proposition 26, while Bussmann thinks the tribes have done a good job of keeping Big Gaming off the rez, they make have sunk their own cause in the process. He adds, “it is very difficult to have both ballot measures that are similar in structure to pass on the ballot, especially when most of the money has been spent on negative ads.”
As for Kansas‘ launch of sports betting last week, it’s obviously a plus for the Sunflower State. But Bussmann thinks the implications for Missouri are stronger and “believes this may force the Show Me State to show up in 2023 with a package to get sports betting across the finish line and not be held hostage to the VGT issue and some legislators that grandstanded over the issue earlier this year.” We certainly hope he’s right.
Bussmann is less optimistic about New York City casino bids, which include candidates both unlikely (Bally’s Corp.) and unsavory (Okada Manila). At issue with Bussmann is the $500 million upfront fee and the tax rates: 10% on table games, 25% on slots. He opines that “the question becomes will operators stay at the minimum and the prices becomes ridiculous for entry leaving some of the best proposals on the floor because the economics does not work.” Where Empire State casinos are concerned, man proposes, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) disposes.
Jottings: Speaking of Okada Manila, it was overrun by Philippines police and regulators, who ejected Kazuo Okada‘s banana-republic regime from the premises. (Payback time.) Maybe Kazuo can buy a casino somewhere else in the archipelago as government agency Pagcor is accelerating the timeline for divesting of its casinos … Four years of running Scientific Games/Light & Wonder were enough for Barry Cottle, who has retired. The news appears to have come as a surprise to LNW, which has promoted gaming boss Matt Wilson to the role of interim CEO while it searches for Cottle’s replacement … Brazilian ruler Jair Bolsonaro‘s hand may be forced on gaming in the nation, as the legislature has authorized sports betting and lotteries, pending presidential approval. The proceeds would go toward health care and tourism promotion … Expect a double-whammy if you exclude yourself from Internet gambling in Pennsylvania. You’ll be banned from brick-and-mortar casinos too, per regulatory edict … Liberty and Prosperity, the conservative PAC that’s the nemesis of New Jersey‘s PILOT program may fly below the PR radar. But it’s been fighting taxation in the Garden State for two decades.