Steve Wynn, get lost

Steve Wynn thinks he’s above the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Perhaps he still imagines himself to be “the most powerful man in Nevada.” Either way, he failed to show up for an NGCB hearing on September 7, 2018, showing his disdain for Silver State regulators and the rules by which everybody else plays. In return, the NGCB asserts that Wynn “is not a person of good character, honesty, and/or integrity [who is] unsuitable to be associated with a gaming enterprise or the gaming industry as a whole.” At issue are literally dozens of accusations of sexual misconduct by Wynn toward his female employees. “Mr. Wynn has repeatedly violated Nevada’s gaming statutes and regulations, bringing discredit upon the state of Nevada and its gaming industry [and] damaged the public’s confidence and trust in an industry that is vitally important to the economy of the State of Nevada and the general welfare of its inhabitants.”

Citing its “full and absolute power” to revoke anybody’s gaming license, the NGCB wants five fines levied upon Wynn for his behavior, including that September snub. Wynn’s attorney’s respond that El Steve “cannot be reasonably expected to waive any of his privileges except at the appropriate time and in the appropriate judicial forum.” Perhaps Mr. Wynn wouldn’t be in this pickle if he had reported the allegations of improper conduct instead of hushing them up with nondisclosure agreements and litigation settlements. The 23-page NGCB complaint, which draws on everything up to and including police reports, is must-read material. Regulators found that, even if the sexual encounters were “consensual” (as Wynn maintains) they were “oblivious to the significant power imbalance between the CEO of a major gaming company and subordinate employees dependent upon Mr. Wynn’s approval for continued employment.” It’s also somewhat repulsive to contemplate Wynn’s self-image as a septuagenerian Lothario, cutting an amorous swath through the Wynncore staff.

Nevada law requires that Wynn be “a person of good character.” “This behavior is unacceptable,” submits the NGCB, “within the Nevada gaming industry, and serves to disqualify Mr. Wynn from being suitable to hold the position of CEO, or any other position under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Gaming Commission.” Certainly an executive who uses his private attorney to instruct Human Resources not to investigate employee complaints has crossed some pretty serious lines. Surely men and women of good character can agree that, by using Wynncore as his private playpen, Steve Wynn is not “a person of good character.” It’s not just a good idea. It’s the law.

In other Wynn Resorts news, the company is throwing in the towel on Osaka, improving MGM Resorts International‘s chances. Wynn will pursue the hitherto neglected Kanto region, possibly chiming with Shinzo Abe‘s desire to stimulate tourism.

* We quite agree with e-sports player Ng “Blitzchung” Wai Chung‘s view that Hong Kong should be left alone. However, he’s getting to have it both ways after being penalized by Blizzard Entertainment for proclaiming “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” during a TV interview. Ng’s prize money was confiscated and he was suspended by Blizzard for a year. After all, its rules specify that anybody who brings “public disrepute” upon the company forfeits prize money and participation. However, one man’s public disrepute is another’s free speech and Blizzard’s action brought blowback. So Ng is getting his suspension halved and his prize money returned (making him $10,000 richer). Repented Blizzard President J. Allen Brack, “We’ve had a chance to pause, to listen to our community, and to reflect on what we could have done better. In hindsight, our process wasn’t adequate, and we reacted too quickly.” With so many people caving to Beijing of late, it’s refreshing to see somebody erring on the side of freedom of expression.

* Oregon is back in the sports-betting game. (A cumbersome parlay system was ditched in 2007.) It will employ an Oregon Lottery-based mobile application, Scoreboard. While state officials had hoped to have the service rolled out in time for NFL season, last-minute bugs kept it offline until this week. This makes Oregon the 12th state to get back into sports betting (which, judging by the accompanying photograph, means having to put up with TV feeds of buffoon Woody Paige). The Lottery already has a partnership with the Portland Jail Blazers and is looking for ways to widen that through the new mobile wagering. To bet one must have an account, capped at an FDIC-insured $250,000. Said Lottery spokesman Matt Shelby, “if someone came in, theoretically, and had $250,000 in their account and tried to put that down on a single game, it would be met with heavy scrutiny. And frankly, I’d be surprised if we took it.” Geofencing will not only keep the wagering inside Oregon but off tribal lands, although you can place a terrestrial bet at Chinook Winds Casino, overlooking the sea. The Lottery anticipates handle of $300 million and $5 million in revenue during Year One.

* Sky Tower, in Adelaide, is going dark for two months before Christmas, in order to switch its exterior lighting from conventional bulbs to LED lights. One of the upshots is that this will make the casino carbon-neutral. That’s not all the operator SkyCity Entertainment is doing to be environmentally friendly. Reports the New Zealand Herald, “SkyCity says it has reduced its gas, fuel and electricity emissions by 13 per cent over the past year, with the target of reducing its emissions by 38 per cent by 2030 … Changes it has introduced include swapping plastic straws for plant-based alternatives, upgrading its air conditioning units, offering beer and wine on tap in its restaurants, and finding ways to re-use or re-purpose leftover food.” We applaud SkyCity.