Sex scandal forces CEO of Prince Harry’s chosen Vegas hotel to resign
The CEO of the Las Vegas hotel and casino where Prince Harry famously romped naked has stepped down amid sexual misconduct allegations.
Steve Wynn claimed that ‘negative publicity’ was making his continued participation as the head of Wynn Resorts untenable.
He is alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with company employees over several decades, and in one case allegedly made a secret $7.5 million settlement, the Wall Street Journal reported. Nevada’s influential Gaming Control Board is the latest to start an investigation.
This week Sin City’s leading newspaper the Las Vegas Review-Journal admitted it had suppressed a news report about sexual misconduct against employees dating back 20 years.
Wynn denies all the allegations.
Following his resignation this week, Wynn Resorts shareholders have filed a lawsuit accusing the Board of turning a blind eye to the allegations against Steve Wynn.
Filed by Norfolk County Retirement System, a Wynn Resorts’ investor, the lawsuit claims the board knew of sexual misconduct allegations and failed to investigate.
"In the last couple of weeks, I have found myself the focus of an avalanche of negative publicity," the 78- year-old said.
"As I have reflected upon the environment this has created — one in which a rush to judgment takes precedence over everything else, including the facts — I have reached the conclusion I cannot continue to be effective in my current roles."
He resigned last month as the Republican National Committee finance chairman when allegations of sexual assault first came to light.
It is also thought the scandal has already cost Wynn more than $400 million of his personal fortune, but he is still being backed by Wynn Resort, which issued a statement saying: "Steve Wynn created modern Las Vegas. He transformed the city into an economic powerhouse by making it a world-wide tourist destination. He designed, built and operated the most iconic resorts on the Las Vegas strip."
Wynn, who pioneered the notion that Las Vegas casinos could be transformed into major resorts offering more than just gambling, opened the Mirage in 1989, followed by the Treasure Island in 1993. The more opulent Belagio followed in 1998 and in 2005 he opened his most expensive hotel at the time, the Wynn and added the Encore next door three years later.
It was at the Wynn & Encore resort that Prince Harry was snapped naked during a lads’ break, when he was rumoured to have booked an eight-bedroom suite.
The Wynn Resorts board of directors announced company president Matt Maddox as new CEO with immediate effect.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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