LICENSE AT RISK
GAMING COMMISSION FINISHING WYNN PROBE
The Gaming Commission’s long-awaited report on sexual harassment and how much Wynn Resorts withheld information and lied in its casino application is expected soon, and pressure is building for tough action that could mean stripping its exclusive Boston-area gambling license.
State gaming regulators are scheduled to discuss for the first time tomorrow how they will handle the results of their investigation into the casino giant and former chief executive Steve Wynn, the latest sign the inquiry is nearing its conclusion.
Critics say there is already enough publicly known to strip the lucrative license from the company regardless of what the final investigation says. Wynn resigned his post in the face of multiple sexual harassment accusations, and news of a $7.5 million payout that was not reported by the company or Wynn in mandatory financial and character background documents.
“Given what we do know now and what the Gaming Commission’s job is in terms of qualifying, I haven’t seen anything that they should have gotten the license in the first place on this issue alone, or should have it now,” said former state Attorney General Martha Coakley. “They’ve changed a few people they’ve changed the name of the building, but there’s no indication they’ve changed the culture.”
Coakley said she and other elected officials intentionally set a high bar for gaming companies while they were shaping the law and forming the Gaming Commission.
“We wanted to make sure that anyone who got that valuable monopolistic license would be of the highest quality character,” Coakley said.
Coakley is now a partner with the law firm Foley Hoag, which represents Mohegan Sun in its lawsuit against the Gaming Commission over the decision to award the Boston-area license to Wynn. Coakley is not involved directly in that suit.
The Gaming Commission is also under pressure to show it can credibly police an industry that is notoriously susceptible to corruption.
“They do have to get it right, they have to make sure this corporation has truly changed, and that culture of harassing employees is over,” said the Rev. Richard McGowan, a professor and gaming expert at Boston College.
A Gaming Commission spokeswoman said the investigation is in its final stages, but declined to say when a report will be released or acted on.
If the license is revoked, it would set off a massive chain reaction that could see casino giants vie once again for the right to operate a casino near Boston in a new bidding process.
Wynn Resorts is building a $2.5 billion casino and hotel in Everett. The future of that would be uncertain — Wynn could sell the property to a new licensee, or any other buyer for some other purpose. Absent a buyer, Everett could be left with a massive, halffinished construction site.