Content note: descriptions of sexual violence.
Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn is watching his casino empire crumble following reports from dozens of former employees that Wynn forced and coerced them to perform sex acts.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Wynn Resorts paid a $7.5 million settlement in 2005 to a manicurist who says Wynn forced her into having sex after giving him a manicure at his on-site salon. Dozens of women interviewed by the WSJ recounted similar experiences of sexual harassment and coercion while working for Wynn.
The fallout has been quick: Wynn stepped down as finance chair of the Republican National Committee, the University of Iowa announced their plan to drop Wynn’s name from a new institute he helped finance, and Wynn Resorts share prices dropped 10%.
But Wynn Resorts is still plowing ahead with construction of a $2.4 billion Boston casino resort that will have Wynn’s name emblazoned over the Boston skyline. What message does that send to survivors of Wynn’s sexual abuse?
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission still has the power to revoke Wynn’s license to operate the casino. That’s why we need to come together now to call on the Commission to stand by women and stop a serial abuser’s name from haunting the Boston skyline.
Call on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to halt Boston’s Wynn Resorts project, pending Wynn’s departure from the company.
State casino laws require that licensees have “integrity and good character.” By any metric, Wynn’s decades-long history of sexual abuse disqualifies him. And MA officials haven’t shied away from asserting their power: “We have unlimited authority to do almost anything we want,” Commission chairman Stephen Crosby said -- whether that mean revoking, suspending, or putting conditions on Wynn’s license.
As chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, Wynn may be able to cling to the same power that enabled his serial abuse of employees. But halting Wynn Resorts’ billion dollar Boston casino project would send a clear message that Wynn Resorts won’t be doing business as long as Steve Wynn is involved.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has the power to stop Wynn Resorts in its tracks. But it’s up to us to make sure they use their power to stand with survivors and hold Steve Wynn to account. Let’s come together now and make sure the Boston skyline isn’t tarred by the name of a serial abuser.
Tell the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to stand with survivors and revoke Steve Wynn’s casino license.
More information
Dozens of People Recount Pattern of Sexual Misconduct by Las Vegas Mogul Steve Wynn
Wall Street Journal. 27 January 2018.
Wall Street Journal. 27 January 2018.