Commission agrees it can hear Steve Wynn harassment complaint

The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday unanimously concurred that it has the authority to judge Steve Wynn and his suitability to hold a gaming license in a sexual harassment complaint that could ultimately ban him from the state’s gaming industry.

Following an hour-long hearing, Wynn’s attorney, Donald Campbell, said Wynn would appeal the decision to Clark County District Court and he expects any decision there would be appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court.

The hearing did not address the five-count Oct. 14 complaint filed by the state Gaming Control Board that accused Wynn of violating state gaming regulations on the operation of gaming establishments by failing “to exercise discretion and sound judgment to prevent incidents which might reflect on the repute of the state …”

The five-count complaint stems from accusations that Wynn sexually harassed several female Wynn Resorts Ltd. employees for years. He has never been tried or convicted of harassment and has denied ever harassing or assaulting anyone since the allegations were made public in January 2018.

Wynn did not appear at Thursday’s commission meeting, but his Las Vegas-based attorneys maintained that Nevada gaming regulators had no authority to punish him because he resigned as chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts in February 2018 and divested his financial interests in the company a month later.

At the end of the hearing, Commission Chairman Tony Alamo said he is hopeful that Wynn’s attorneys and the Attorney General’s Office would meet to settle the sexual harassment case.

But Campbell made it clear that his next stop would be District Court and that he wouldn’t enter settlement talks until he is satisfied that the jurisdictional issue is adjudicated. And, he expects to win.

“There is just too much law and precedence that establishes that they don’t have the jurisdiction to do what they have done here,” he said.

Campbell contended that because Wynn left the company in February 2018, the commission has no license to revoke and no suitability to withdraw.

But the Control Board believes that once Wynn left the company, his license was placed on “administrative hold” — a status Campbell said doesn’t exist.

Regulators say the Nevada Legislature has given them broad powers to enforce state gaming laws, including punishing those who violate state regulations. Otherwise, attorneys said, violators could simply quit to avoid any fines or penalties and return to the industry at a later time.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.