Wynn in a corner; Delaware may cut racinos some slack

Things have gotten so bad for Steve Wynn that he’s been reduced to asking his employees to support him in Sexgate. “In a family, people look after each other … They take care of the people they serve” he said, a sentiment that he would have done well to have remembered when he was raiding his dealers’ tip pool to compensate pit bosses. The plea comes as an increasingly unpopular Wynn has been stripped of his honorary degree by the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. The latter also took Wynn’s name off a scholarship program and a campus plaza, Wynn Commons, where his name had already been vandalized. (Oh, and Penn took Bill Cosby‘s honorary degree back, too.)

Referring to Wynn’s alleged sexcapades, Penn President Amy Gutmann and Board of Trustees Chairman David L. Cohen wrote that “the nature, severity, and extent of these allegations, and the patterns of abusive behavior they describe, involve acts and conduct that are inimical to the core values of our university.” Cosby and Wynn now belong to an extremely select club of ex-honorees whose last new member was Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Penn may not be the only place where Wynn’s name is removed. The Boston Globe‘s Nestor Ramos argued that the sight of Wynn’s signature logo atop Wynn Boston Harbor would be an “enduring shame.” Of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission‘s investigation, Ramos wrote “That doesn’t mean we should expect the commission to prove or disprove every allegation with certainty — an impossible task. This isn’t a criminal prosecution, and anyone who demands one is misunderstanding what’s happening here.” No, the burden of proof is on the licensee to demonstrate that they are of good character. Already the concealment of Wynn’s $7.5 million litigation settlement with a manicurist weighs heavily against Wynn Resorts.

Ramos asked, “We may never know, to the satisfaction of some, who Steve Wynn really is. But if this project goes forward with his name attached — if the state takes his money while we all walk around under that gleaming Wynn logo — then who are we?” Back in Las Vegas, matters took a turn for the farcical when anti-sexism organization UltraViolet hired a plane to fly back and forth over the Las Vegas Strip towing a banner that read “Wynn is a sexual predator #FireWynn.”

Attorney Paola Armeni served as an unofficial apologist, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Wynn’s unofficial propaganda organ, “There are going to be people on both sides saying there truly are women affected, but there probably are going to be people who also think that those women are going to lose credibility because of the timing and because they didn’t say something sooner.” Armeni’s right that the accusation of sexual harassment in and of itself acts as a badge of disgrace, regardless of its validity. But in Wynn’s case there’s been so much smoke for so many years that some fire was break out eventually.

Former Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett offered a preview of what might happen, citing the case of GC Technology, which was found to be underpaying bettors. CEO Lee Amatis lost his job and the company was fined $1.5 million as part of a larger settlement. (I’m not sure a $1.5 million fine would be big enough for the no-tolerance message to get through at Wynn Resorts.)

In the midst of all of this, Forbes posed the once-unthinkable question: Would Wynn Resorts be better off with 100% less Steve Wynn? Unfortunately for readers, author Muhammad Cohen didn’t answer his own question other than to say, “At some point the baggage outweighs the brilliance.” Yes, but have we reached that point yet?

* “There does have to be substantial progress made in reducing the damage the state has done to the casino industry,” said state Sen. Brian Bushweller (D), throwing a lifeline to Delaware‘s three racinos. A Bushweller bill would cut the table game tax rate to 15%, a 50% reduction. It would eliminate yearly licensing fees. Yes, it would cost the state $20 million annually, but Delaware is currently sitting atop a $170 million surplus, so why not be a little “george” to Dover Downs and its ilk. Coming of a money-losing year, the latter’s CEO, Denis McGlyn complained, “We make money, everybody else gets it but us and we end up with a million dollar loss. This is just not sustainable.” Hopefully the new legislation will make it more so.

* Resorts World Catskills added another lure to its panoply attractions, announcing that celebrity chef Scott Conant would be opening an Italian steakhouse, Cellaio, as part of the casino’s F&B array. The menu is described as “elevated, Italian-inspired steakhouse fare … old-world hospitality with the robust energy of a New York City steakhouse,” according to Genting Group. Conant comes to Las Vegas this month, opening Masso Osteria near Red Rock Resort. Genting promises that Conant will “oversee all aspects of the restaurant development, including menu creation, and and will make frequent appearances at the property.” Isn’t that what they say about all celebrity chefs?

* Ameristar East Chicago is putting a tentative foot ashore as it builds a small gaming pavilion for high-limit players. It will have 14 tables and 95 slots. This frees up space on the riverboat for 145 new slots in the old high-limit-table room, while the former high-limit-slots area will be repurposed for video poker.