After resigning early last month as boss of American casino operator Wynn Resorts Limited amid allegations of sexual misconduct, Steve Wynn could now reportedly have his name stripped from the firm’s under-construction Wynn Boston Harbor Resort.
According to a Thursday report from the Boston Herald newspaper, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has declared that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission should request that Wynn Resorts Limited remove the 76-year-old’s name from the $2.4 billion integrated casino resort it is currently building in the northern Boston suburb of Everett.
Healey’s appeal reportedly followed this week’s revelation of additional sexual misconduct claims against Wynn including that he may have had a child with one unidentified woman he is alleged to have raped in the 1970s. The Boston Herald explained that a further accusation revealed on Wednesday centers on a former female employee that was purportedly forced to resign from her job as a dealer at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, which was controlled by the casino magnate from 1973 until 2000, after refusing to have sex with him.
“It’s clear to me, if what’s being alleged is true, that the casino cannot bear Wynn’s name,” reportedly read a statement from Healey. “I’m not convinced the company should have a license at all.”
These sentiments were reportedly echoed by the eastern state’s Republican Governor, Charlie Baker, although Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts Limited has continually maintained that it has no plans to change its corporate moniker or the name of the coming 671-room Boston area venue as to do so would harm its global brand.
“I certainly think that’s one of the things that should be on the table,” reportedly read a statement from Baker. “Obviously, the allegations from the beginning, all of them, have been horrifying and incredibly disturbing.”
Wynn was first accused of sexual misconduct via a January 27 story from The Wall Street Journal newspaper and these allegations subsequently prompted the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to launch an investigation into whether Wynn Resorts Limited should have been granted a casino license for its Wynn Boston Harbor Resort, which is scheduled to open in June of 2019. These particular abuse claims reportedly included that the billionaire businessman paid one worker approximately $7.5 million after forcing her to have sexual relations but that he had not disclosed this payment during a pre-licensing background check conducted by state officials.
“Currently all options are on the table,” reportedly read a statement from Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. “We must first complete our investigation and have a full accounting of the facts before we pre-determine outcomes or speculate about next steps.”