Investigators from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission have extended their investigation into casino mogul Steve Wynn, Las Vegas gaming and hospitality giant Wynn Resorts, and the company’s suitability to operate a casino resort in the state.
The probe was expected to be completed by the end of August, but members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said during a Thursday public meeting that investigators are yet to wrap up work and to present commissioners with their findings.
The Wall Street Journal published this past January an extensive report detailing multiple sexual harassment allegations against Mr. Wynn. The report also included information about Mr. Wynn paying a $7.5-million settlement to a former manicurist at his company who claimed that she had been subjected to sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances by the disgraced mogul.
Wynn Resorts won one of three gaming licenses issued by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission back in 2014 and broke ground on an integrated resort in the city of Everett in the Greater Boston area a few years later. Following the publication of the WSJ report, the gaming regulator launched a probe into the businessman, the company he found, and whether it was aware of his long pattern of alleged sexual misconduct.
As mentioned earlier, the investigation was slated to end by the end of August. It is now likely to be completed sometime this month. Gaming commissioners said during yesterday’s public meeting that they expect their next meeting, which is set to take place on September 27, to likely cover the probe’s findings.
Comprehensiveness and Transparency
Commenting on the delayed completion of the investigation, Massachusetts Gaming Commission Executive Director Ed Bedrosian said that investigators “are balancing a sense of urgency with an uncompromising commitment to diligence and thoroughness” and that “comprehensive fact-finding and analysis must take precedence” over urgency.
In comments to media outlets attending yesterday’s public meeting, MassGaming Chairman Stephen Crosby said that comprehensiveness and transparency are two key points in the ongoing probe and that investigators are not only looking into what had happened, but also who had known about the occurrences, when they had been informed about them, and what had been done about them.
Mr. Wynn left his posts as Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, following the publication of the WSJ story, but denied all allegations and said that people were rushing to judgment. Wynn Resorts has opened its own investigation into the matter, but is yet to release its findings.
The company is currently building a $2.5-billion resort in Everett. The project was recently renamed to Encore Boston Harbor from Wynn Boston Harbor to avoid any association with the disgraced businessman. It was confirmed that Wynn Resorts has deliberately kept from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission information about the above-mentioned $7.5-million settlement paid by Mr. Wynn when its casino license application was reviewed by the state gambling regulator.
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