Wynn Everett’s uncertain destiny; Buyer for F-blew?

Forget those plans you were making to visit Wynn Everett. The casino resort won’t open until 2019, maybe later. Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone has thrown a monkey wrench into the works with his appeal of Wynn Resorts‘ waterside-construction permit. In response, Wynn has delayed construction, canceled seven job fairs and imposed a hiring freeze. Curtatone blames Wynn for the situation, saying, “They knew the appeal was coming, and their claim that everything from this point on is the responsibility of the city of Somerville is really based on Wynn’s fantasy timeline where they are above the rules and regulations of this Commonwealth, and that they’re not subject to the normal appeals process.”

Curtatone said the project lacked a “meaningful” traffic-mitigation plan. “As soon as Wynn is willing to step up to the plate to develop a responsible traffic plan and address our environmental concerns, then this project has a possibility of moving forward.” (emphasis added) Make no mistake, Curtatone is a diehard opponent of the casino and would probably like nothing better than to be the man who ran Steve Wynn out of Boston. By contrast, Everett Mayor Carlo DiMaria is firmly in Wynn’s corner, saying to Curtatone (pictured),  “we will come there and ask that you just cut it out.”

Curtatone’s anti-Wynn crusade follows a recent attempt to shake the company down for more revenue sharing than the $650,000/year he’s getting, presumably figuring that what worked for Boston Mayor Martin Walsh would work for him, too. Wynn Resorts can continue with some construction, like rerouting utilities, while Curtatone’s appeal works its agonizingly slow way through the bureaucracy of Massachusetts and casino President Robert DeSalvio promised that the company was in the Bay State to stay. And although Steve Wynn sat down with Walsh, DeSalvio said that such face-to-face negotiations with Curtatone were out of the question, explaining dismissively that Wynn was “very busy running a global empire.”

DeSalvio’s dramatic announcement put Curtatone on the defensive. Hizzoner hurriedly called a press conference, which was the occasion for some mayoral posturing: “If I have to stand alone to take them on, I’m going to do it. We are not backing down.” We have to agree with DiMaria that “This is politics at its worst.”

* As expected, Wynn’s tip-confiscation policy toward its Las Vegas dealers will remain in place, at least until the company either appeals for a rehearing by the full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals or leapfrogs the Ninth Circuit to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, not only could dealers regain their full tips but the Fair Labor Standards Act could compel Wynn Resorts to pay double damages. Ouch! Expect Wynn to fight to the bitter end.

* As for Wynn himself, he’s busy mending fences with the government of Macao. Sounding thoroughly chastened (or “Zen” as Wynn put it), the mogul ate the savage words he’d flung at China last autumn. “The government wants these places to get off on the right foot and I think that the government will do what they have to do to see that that happens,” said Wynn, taking a page from Sheldon Adelson‘s book of Sayings That Will Curry Favor With China. Translation: I’m sorry I flew off the handle, please give me more table games. Wynn Macau executives had been called on the carpet by Macanese authorities after Wynn raged that table-game limitations were “the most ludicrous decision that I’ve seen in my 45 years of experience.” (The Steve can’t resist a penchant for hyperbole.)

* Wynn’s plan to scrap the pricey Wynn Golf Club in favor a convention center and more amenities may be back ‘on’ again. In the meantime, Carl Icahn appears to have finally found a buyer for Fontainebleau, although no dollar figure is available and some downsizing of the behemoth resort tower may be part of the deal. Despite years of exposure, Clark County Commissioner (and F-blew gadfly) Chris Giunchigliani told gossip columnist Norm(!) Clarke that the property is still in “excellent condition.” Even if completed, the only way F-blew could cease to be an eyesore is, in a word, dynamite.

* Speaking of Adelson, he’d better be planning on living into his nineties if his designs upon South Korea are to bear fruit. He’s pursuing a casino concession there but it’s contingent on being able to market to locals. This is no caprice. The country’s only locals casino, Kangwon Land, is responsible for half of South Korea’s gambling revenue. Adelson is offering to invest $2.4 billion but Kangwon Land’s monopoly is enshrined in law until 2025. Meanwhile, the country’s tourist-oriented casinos are experiencing a mild revenue swoon after being temporarily barred from marketing to Chinese VIP players, a prime customer base.