Before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission

Wynn Resorts executives issue memo defending the brand

The company wants to open its $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor gambling mecca in Everett.
2019-03-21
Reading time 1:42 min
After sexual misconduct allegations cost former CEO Steve Wynn his job and tainted the brand, executives stated they will try to convince Massachusetts gambling regulators they’ve completely transformed the battered casino company.

As reported in an article published by the Boston Herald, Wynn Resorts issued a memo stating they will attempt to convince the Massachusetts Gaming Commission the have succeeded in cleaning the name of the battered casino company.

The memo, provided to the Herald by Wynn Resorts, comes as the state gambling regulators announced Wednesday they will hold hearings into the Las Vegas casino operator’s local license beginning April 1.

Those pivotal hearings come just a few short months before the company wants to open its $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor gambling mecca in Everett. Two job fairs have recently been held to help fill 5,800 slots at the hotel-and-casino resort.

"Over the past 12 months, Wynn Resorts has undergone a corporate transformation," executives state in the memo. "The individuals who failed to live up to the Company’s high standards and values have all been removed." That includes an ousted Steve Wynn, the memo states in bold lettering.

The document — part of what company brass are expected to tell gaming commissioners at next month’s hearing — has just been filed with the commission and outlines the changes made over the last year. They include:

  • Forming an independent committee to investigate who at the company had knowledge of the sexual assault allegations against Steve Wynn and what, if anything, was done in response — including whether or not there were any systemic issues of sexual harassment.
  • Revamping its board of directors and executive management team, except Matthew Maddox, the current Wynn CEO.
  • A new “Preventing Harassment and Discrimination Policy” that will apply to all employees, including its board of directors.
  • Requiring all employees to attend sexual harassment training.
  • Provide reports to both Massachusetts and Nevada gaming regulators about any sexual harassment cases.
  • Ensure “that the inappropriate breakdown of controls experienced by the Company during the Steve Wynn era never happens again.”

In February, Nevada gaming regulators levied a record $20 million fine against Wynn Resorts for its failure to properly report and investigate sexual harassment allegations against Steve Wynn, but allowed the company to keep its casino license.

As the Herald previously reported, Wynn Resorts will hire former Boston police Commissioner Ed Davis as part of its "compliance program" that will "review all claims of sexual harassment reported by employees."

Executives said that the decision to rebrand its Everett casino last April "reflects the start of a new chapter for the Company in Massachusetts."

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