Steve Wynn, international man of mystery

“Foreign agent.” That’s who Steve Wynn is, according to the Justice Department, which is prepared to sue the disgraced casino mogul if he doesn’t register as an aegis of Red China‘s government. Seems that Steve was carrying water for the ChiComms during Donald Trump‘s administration. Specifically, he was leaning on the White House to extradite a certain Guo Wengui, who sought asylum in our great country back in 2014. The Chinese say Guo is wanted for bribery and sexual assault. And of course we can always take the Beijing government at its word. (*Cough*Wuhan*Cough*) Ultimately, in another chapter of the Trump/Wynn love-hate relationship, The Donald didn’t cede to Wynn’s pressure … perhaps because Guo is card-carrying member of the Mar-a-Lago country club. He’s also in Steve Bannon‘s Rolodex, which obviously didn’t hurt his cause.

According to Bloomberg, “Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, passed in 1938, any person representing the interest of foreign entities in the U.S.—including governments—must disclose their relationship to the Justice Department. They also need to make public all of the activities they’ve done on their behalf and, if applicable, how much they were paid.” Hmmm … Steve Wynn do something untoward? Nah.

Wynn’s defense is rather disingenuous. “Steve Wynn never served as an agent or lobbyist for China or anyone else,” his lawyer told the Wall Street Journal. “He was merely a loyal messenger of information he received to our government.” Well, if so, this is one case where the DoJ is prepared to shoot the messenger. The official Wynn response begs one intriguing question: “Loyal” to whom? The U.S.? China? The non-denial denial is rife with ambiguity. Guo, for his part, had no doubts in the matter, releasing a statement that read, “I am glad to hear the DOJ is investigating Steve Wynn and frankly believe they should criminally indict him for serving as a greedy spy of the Chinese Communist Party.” In a piquant twist to the saga, it was aboard Guo’s yacht that Bannon was arrested back in 2020. (Bannon beat the rap.) It sounds like everybody involved in this imbroglio deserves each other richly.

MGM Grand was the scene of the latest incidence of the disgusting, beyond-deplorable anti-Semitic violence sweeping the country. New York City EMT Paul Leibowitz was visiting Sin City in hope of some much-needed downtime when he was attacked outside the Green Monster by two men, one of whom self-identified as Palestinian. “I said, turns out I’m from Palestine also. And we were having an amicable, disagreeing conversation,” recounts Leibowitz. Things took a dark turn when “Sam” invoked the Final Solution, saying, “The Jews are not going to exist anymore.” From there the rhetoric escalated to “Baby killers!” and then to fisticuffs. “I fell flat on my head, back part of my head. What a smack on the floor,” said Leibowitz, who suffered a concussion. He flagged down Vegas Metro, who essentially shrugged off the the matter, leaving Leibowitz to conclude, “I lost my faith in the fact that, you can have a Jewish hate crime, and it’s treated just like a typical assault.” In related news, The Associated Press sacked an intern in part for referring to the late Sheldon Adelson as a “naked mole rat.”

Memorial Day weekend is upon us and Las Vegas is—according to AAA—the number-one vacation spot in the nation, as travel climbs 60% from last year. No other casino destination made the top five. Indeed, gambling-allergic Orlando was bracketed with Sin City for highest honors. All of which means if you’re taking I-15 to Vegas, hop in your car yesterday and leave for home super-early Monday because the traffic is certain to be hellish. “Although a full return to historic high visitor volumes is unlikely, traffic volumes at Primm have increased by 170 percent versus the same time last year,” reported our friend Tony Illia of the Nevada Department of Transportation. Room rates are going Ka-ching! For instance, a weekend at Wynncore will set you back $1,519. Bellagio is more expensive still ($1,567), as is Caesars Palace (a market-leading $1,737). Bargain hunters will have to settle for $861 at Treasure Island. Speaking of Phil Ruffin, he’s reinstating the buffet at Circus Circus. Seems that customers weren’t happy about having to forego such a wallet-friendly amenity. You can belly up to the chow line starting tomorrow.

Once Internet gambling is factored into the mix, Atlantic City casinos’ gross operating profits are actually 11% ahead of 1Q19. “The strength of internet gaming and the safe return of tourists to Atlantic City are a powerful combination,” New Jersey Casino Control Commission Chairman James Plousis said. “Last week’s lifting of casino capacity restrictions bolsters confidence for a strong recovery this summer.” Alas, Plousis did not release by-property comparisons, merely posting 2021 vs. 2020 figures that show this year clobbering last year. No shit, Sherlock. Tell us something we didn’t already know. Hotel rooms in Atlantic City, with occupancy running just over 50%, seem artificially jacked up to compensate for a lack of demand. Would you pay $175/night to say at Ocean Casino Resort? Maybe. But $91/night for Resorts Atlantic City? Not bloody likely.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s fate will be on a 2021 electoral ballot—but sports betting won’t. The good news is that the sports-wagering initiative has qualified for the 2022 election. The Cali secretary of state confirmed that tribal interests had collected 1,061,282 valid signatures—more than needed. Taxed at 10%, sports betting would be offered at horse tracks in four counties and on tribal reservations. Left out in the cold is the Golden State’s scandal-plagued card room industry. Card-room advocates are rending their garments and proclaiming that this will be a disaster for the cities that depend on them for taxes—displaying an exaggerated notion of the amount of revenue sports betting engenders. The best argument for including the card rooms is it could open the door to online wagering. As presently constituted, California sports betting would be walk-up only.

Jottings: You’ll be able to follow the odds while watching WNBA games, due to a new pact between the league and PointsBet. The latter believes that higher viewership for women’s sports is being driven by sports betting, hence its wager on women’s basketball. Team logos and player images will be featured on the PointsBet platform … Potowatomi Hotel & Casino, in Milwaukee, one of the largest tribal casinos in the U.S., is going smoke-free. The Eastern Band of Cherokee is currently debating going smokeless at its two, Harrah’s-branded casinos. As usual, Indian Country is at the forefront of gaming-industry trends … June 4 is National Donut Day, especially at Philadelphia Live. If you gamble enough to earn 900 points you’ll be rewarded with—get this—a half-dozen doughnuts. They’re all fancy and glazed, yeah, but not a very “george” comp, we think. Just buy some damn doughnuts … Attendees at World of Concrete will be greeted with a splendid new Las Vegas Convention Center amenity: a telemedicine center. Described as “a doctor’s office and a pharmacy in a box,” it’s a first in the convention biz. Well done, LVCVA … Century Casinos is mulling adding a hotel to its Cape Girardeau casino. Authorities are supportive, with Missouri Gaming Commission Chairman Mike Leara saying, “The casino has done and fared better than most of the other casinos in the state post-pandemic.” … While American casinos are thriving, Canada‘s are withering on the vine. Only one of Great Canadian Gaming‘s 25 properties is open for business, Caesars Windsor is dark (the best thing that could have happened for Detroit) and Casino Niagara is on ice. A slow rollout of Covid-19 vaccines is blamed for the ongoing shutdown.