Elaine calls the shots; Now it’s Encore Boston Harbor

Wynn Resorts has been ceding to the wishes of Elaine Wynn of late but it got its back up when she demanded the removal of board member John Jay Hagenbuch. Ms. Wynn views him as a crony of her ex-husband and thus an obstacle to reinventing the company. For its part, Wynn Resorts stated “Given Jay’s key board role and deep institutional knowledge, withholding your vote for him would only serve to undercut the progress Wynn is making.” (Progress? What progress?) The conflict comes to a head at the shareholders’ meeting May 16. When answering to a higher authority — the Massachusetts Gaming Commission — CEO Matt Maddox said Wynn Resorts couldn’t handle more than 30% turnover in the board at any given time. Hagenbuch is one of the foxes investigating the henhouse that was Steve Wynn‘s sexual predation upon company employees, giving Ms. Wynn twice as much reason to want him out,.

* Ocean Resort Casino still has to establish its identity in Atlantic City but it took a step forward when the city removed the wall segregating the former Revel from the Boardwalk. Ocean Resort may try to steal some of Hard Rock Atlantic City‘s thunder by opening on June 28. As far as differentiating itself from the rest of the pack, Bruce Deifik‘s casin0-resort has installed a Wahlburger’s and 26,000 square feet of Top Golf. Let’s hope the third time is the charm for this casino.

Elsewhere in Atlantic City, Borgata is belatedly transforming to live-dealer games at three of its online casinos. Live dealers are credited with making the Golden Nugget the runaway favorite of online punters. The Nugget grew its online revenue 150% when it switched to live dealers.

* In China, in a sort of Chuck-E-Cheese concept for high rollers, casinos on the island of Hainan were paying out winners not in cash but in amenities that could only be redeemed on-property. Beijing took a dim view of this cashless gambling and came down upon it like a ton of bricks. However, a new court ruling has remanded the case back to the original court for procedural errors. What this means, is that in tandem with sports betting, casino gambling could soon return to Hainan, albeit not in real-money form. iGamX casino consultant Ben Lee predicts “between the fifth year onward to the tenth year, we think they may let the cashless casinos become full casinos.” According to CalvinAyre.com, “Lee thinks Beijing was anxious not to repeat its perceived mistakes in Macau, meaning western casino companies would likely be left on the outside looking in at Hainan’s casino market.” Cruel fate.

* Undaunted by Trump administration hanky-panky, Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun continue with their East Windsor construction project. East Windsor First Selectman Robert Maynard isn’t worried about Beltway intrigue so much as the ricocheting effect of the Steve Wynn sex scandal(s), which could lead to MGM Resorts International selling MGM Springfield to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun as it angles for Wynn Boston Harbor, now officially Encore Boston Harbor. (Congrats to VitalVegas author Scott Roeben for being the first to smoke that out.)

More to the point, the Connecticut Legislature has yet to enact enabling legislation for the East Windsor site. (The latter wouldn’t be a job bonanza: Most of the positions would be filled by current Foxwoods or Mohegan employees.) Planning, zoning and wetlands-construction approvals still have to be given by East Windsor, too

MGM’s hopes for flipping MGM Springfield may have been dashed when Matt Maddox appeared on CNBC and went into a Boston lovefeast. “Boston’s not up for sale. What Boston represents for us is a good growth opportunity. I like that market. I found that land. I pursued that deal. I entered the agreement with the host community five years ago. I liked that market then, I like that market now.” That gets Maddox off the fence he straddled in a conference call with investors, hinting at a sale and calling the property “a really good opportunity.”

Cognizant of saying all the right things, MGM’s Debra DeShong remarked, “We remain fully committed to the opening and success of MGM Springfield.” She refused to comment on widespread speculation that Encore Boston Harbor remains in play, with MGM the #1 player. We hold to our theory that MGM would like to use MGM Growth Properties to buy both casinos and lease MGM Springfield to the highest bidder. Bay State law prevents a licensee from operating more than one casino but there seems to be a loophole where ownership is concerned.

* There is likely to be a “Trailer Station” at the Moulin Rouge site on May 29, the eighth such charade. Ho-hum.

* Eldorado Resorts‘ Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park racino generates an above-average $250/win/slot/day. Now, thanks to a newly announced joint venture with Cordish Cos. to create an entertainment district, JP Morgan‘s Daniel Politzer estimates that win could leap to $300/slot/day. Pretty darn good if they can pull it off.

* Out at Beau Rivage: nightclubs. In: dueling pianos.