New era at Wynn; Resorts turns 40

Kudos to Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox for tacitly acknowledging that women were second-class citizens at the company. He’s created a department to promote diversity — better late than never. Wynn might say it’s not conceding anything but were there not a diversity problem, why would the company create a department to address it? The new Culture & Community Department, remotely overseen by Kim Sinatra, is — per the Wall Street Journal — tasked with “focusing on diversity and inclusion, gender equality, and support for employee charitable efforts.” This includes a Women’s Leadership Forum, where issues like pay equity will be addressed. The Wynn board has two vacancies at this point. Would it be asking two much for them to be filled with members of the fair sex?

The formation of the Culture & Community Department puts a few teeth in Maddox’s promise of a “zero-tolerance” environment where sexual misconduct is concerned. An in-house investigation of Steve Wynn‘s behavior continues and we look forward eagerly to its findings. The immediate head of the new department, Corinne Clement, is a Wynn veteran who came by way of diversity-driven MGM Resorts International, where she handled a number of briefs, including human resources. We applaud her appointment and wish her well.

* Resorts Atlantic City will kick off high season on the Boardwalk with a Memorial Day celebration of 40 years of gambling at the venerable hotel-casino. The extended celebration, which begins May 25, boasts no headliner more recognizable than the Village People, which indicates how far Resorts has come down in the world. It used to host everyone from Sinatra to Pavarotti. Aside from a reenactment of the first dice roll at Resorts, the highlight of the celebration will surely be the un-retirement of Resorts’ very first slot machine, so that everybody can have a pull on the one-armed bandit. There will also be a disco-themed happy hour, something of which we heartily approve. Resorts President Mark Giannantonio promised, “Our 40th anniversary is a celebration of Resorts’ success, and we look forward to commemorating this exciting time in our history by hosting three months of can’t-miss entertainment and promotions.” Let’s hope so.

2017 was a very good year for Atlantic City, with a 22.5% increase inoperating profit. No surprise, Borgata led the pack with $292 million, a 19.5% leap. Except for (quite surprisingly) Harrah’s Resort, down 3% to $116 million, every casino town saw higher profits. (Hotel occupancies and room rates, an important component in a holistic recovery, were also up. Despite having the lowest average daily rate [$83.38]), the Golden Nugget had the lowest occupancy, at 78%. Caesars Atlantic City was tops with 91%. The honor roll was as follows: Caesars – $92 million profit/19.5% increase; Tropicana – $92 million/71% (!); Bally’s – $42 million/8%; Golden Nugget – $40 million/38% and Resorts – $23 million/23.5%. Resorts Digital also swung out of the red, posting a $14 million profit, so maybe the PokerStars infusion is finally paying dividends.

* Speaking of diversity — and the Village People — MGM has crafted an album of wedding songs specifically for the LGBT community. “Diversity and inclusion are the foundation of MGM’s company culture, and we have stood with the LGBTQ community for decades,” said Chief Experience Officer Lilian Tomovich. “We believe love is universal and music should be as well. Universal Love reflects our commitment to the mission of unity and equality for all.” Iconic songs have had their lyrics repurposed to be gender-inclusive, headlined by Bob Dylan rewriting “She’s Funny That Way” as “He’s Funny That Way.” Ke$ha — covering a Janis Joplin tune — and St. Vincent are among the other participating artists.

Said McCann NY Chief Creative Officer Thomas Murphy, “if definitions of love and marriage are changing and becoming more inclusive, maybe it’s time love songs caught up. And MGM was in a great position to help to make that happen.” Dylan was the quickest artist to sign on for the project but Ke$ha brings her own street cred as well, having officiated at three same-sex commitment ceremonies to date. This is a really exciting development from MGM and the album, on the Legacy label is advertised as being available through all streaming platforms. We hope our LGBT readers enjoy it.