By Josh Resnek
During 2018 when Steve Wynn fell from grace as a superstar casino mogul following the publication of a Wall Street Journal report detailing sexual harassment issues and lawsuits that had gone unrevealed, the leadership of the corporation changed the name of the Wynn resort in Everett to the Encore Boston Harbor.
This was done largely because of the horror the charges against caused among Massachusetts leadership, all of whom backed Wynn for the casino, but all of whom deserted him when the Wall Street Journal report came out.
Despite not being charged with a crime, or being indicted or convicted, Wynn’s name has been ruined by the #metoo movement as well as the new reality surrounding sexual harassment issues by powerful men.
Men out of control getting away with sexual harassment is no longer the norm in our society, although locally, the #metoo movement doesn’t seem to have had any effect on alleged previous goings on by an Everett city leader.
Now comes an apparent effort now underway to rename the Wynn properties in Las Vegas and perhaps around the world, according to published articles in Casino.org.
Steve Wynn, the founder and former CEO of Wynn Resorts, remains engulfed in legal challenges stemming from his alleged sexual misconduct. Now, new rumors suggest the casino operator could soon do away with its namesake identity, the news organization has reported.
There are reports in a popular gaming news organization, @ VitalVegas, that Wynn Resorts might be forced to modify its name to further distance itself from its founder and his problems, which seem not likely to go away any time soon.
To some, Wynn has become synonymous with opulence and luxury. To others, he’s a billionaire who allegedly sexually harassed female workers for decades.
CEO Matt Maddox said last year that the company “polled hundreds and hundreds of customers” … and “60 percent of them had never heard of Steve Wynn.” He added, “90 percent of the 40 percent said, ‘We love the property, we love the service, we love the food. We don’t care who’s running it.’
What’s in a name?
Some believe the name is everything, and that Wynn meant everything to the success of whatever he touched.
Now that he’s gone, achieving success is that much harder for those who inherited his mantel.