Wynn Resorts future integrated resort Encore Boston Harbor has been one of the hot topics of discussion in the state of Massachusetts ever since the beginning of this year when the casino developer underwent several turbulent months. Now the Suffolk University Political Research Center conducted a poll testing the general attitude towards the operator and asking the community whether or not it should maintain its license for operation over the future $2.5 billion casino resort.
The new casino resort which is currently under construction on the banks of the Mystic River in Everett, Massachusetts has been highly discussed ever since the last days of January witnessed a significant whirlpool of publicity regarding the casino developer’s former CEO Steve Wynn whose name was involved in a couple of sexual misconduct allegations. The investigations of Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission drew even more attention to the operation and deals inked up to this point.
According to the new poll which aimed to provide more clarity as to the overall attitude towards the casino developer and operator, some 46 percent of the voters claimed that Wynn Resorts should retain its right to continue the work on its new integrated resort. The local voters expressing their disapproval amounted to 38 percent, whereas the remaining 15 percent claimed they were undecided on the subject. As many as 500 voters participated in the poll and cast their opinion regarding the important question.
Encore Boston Harbor Sees Turbulent Times
Another interesting factor pointed out by the said poll was that a total of 48 percent of the women who participated in it are against the idea of Wynn Resorts continuing with the project. It could be recalled that the last days of January and the discoveries around the sexual misconduct allegations coincided with the Me Too movement which provides support for survivors of sexual harassment and assault. This comes as no surprise to anyone since the newly appointed CEO of the casino developer Matt Maddox has been working towards restoring the positive image of the brand.
In order to accomplish that, the casino operator even made sure to exclude Mr. Wynn from the list of key qualifiers of the new venue, as well as change the name of the future resort to Encore Boston Harbor. It all started when the local gaming regulator unearthed the information that one of the previous owners of the land lot on which Encore Boston Harbor is being built now had been related to the Mob.
The purchase deal was officially finalized five years ago between Wynn Resorts and FBT Everett Realty LLC. But apparently, nothing unusual was pointed out while the negotiations were still in progress. Shortly after that, the regulator discovered a never-before-seen arrangement which aims to provide clarity of the way in which the former CEO of the company made his exit from the structure of the casino operator.
Another happening which could have affected the decision of voters might have been the most recent amended complaint filed in by the Connecticut tribal casino developer Mohegan Sun. The Superior Court in Boston witnessed the filings claiming that the said misconduct allegations from the end of January come to show that the authorities of Massachusetts have not been impartial when granting Wynn Resorts casino licensing.
