The fallout from a January Wall Street Journal story alleging Steve Wynn engaged in workplace sexual harassment as chairman of Wynn Resorts continue to reverberate through the casino executive’s world.
Stockholder lawsuits have been filed alleging Wynn’s board didn’t do enough to prevent the alleged offenses, former resort massage therapists have filed their own litigations, and two women have filed police reports alleging Wynn took sexual advantage of them decades ago.
Wynn has denied all of those allegations and blamed the scandal on his wife Elaine. The two have been locked in litigation over control of her stocks in the company.
As if that weren’t enough trouble, now the state Attorney General from Massachusetts is suggesting the Wynn name be removed from the casino-resort under construction just outside Boston.
John L. Smith said that while in Nevada gaming executives are extremely powerful people that is not the case in other parts of the country.
“However, the further away you get from Nevada the more like regular business people they are," he said.
In the past, the Gaming Control Board in Nevada has exercised its power against casinos breaking the rules. But Smith sees an important distinction between those cases and this one.
“It hasn’t necessarily gone that next step to focus on whether the licensee is going to be sanctioned and is going to actually lose their license or have it suspended,” he said.
He's not sure Nevada's gaming regulators would do that with Steve Wynn, but there is a chance that regulators in Massachusettes might.
Smith also talks about former Las Vegas City Council member Ricki Barlow, who resigned last week and took a plea deal for using campaign funds for personal use.
He said people at city hall had raised questions about Barlow for awhile, especially about the amount of time he spent there and that he might be living beyond his means.
Smith said when someone's lifestyle doesn't match their income it raises a red flag.
“That’s what made him more of a target, I believe,” he said.
And he wonders at the future job prospects of Ciara Matthews, who started her political operative career managing Sharron Angle in 2010. She's currently working for Texas Governor Greg Abbot as his communication director.
John wonders if there is possibly a higher level communication job that Matthews might fit into - now that Hope Hicks has left the White House.
John L. Smith, contributor
