NEW YORK – Wynn Resorts Ltd. will remove its founder’s name from a casino under construction in Massachusetts and will instead call the property Encore Boston Harbor.
CEO Matt Maddox announced the new moniker at a Friday hearing before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, where the new CEO is trying to distance himself from Steve Wynn, the casino mogul who resigned in February over allegations of sexual misconduct.
“There is no business association with Steve Wynn,” Maddox told regulators. “I am my own man.”
Wynn’s ex-wife Elaine, now the company’s largest shareholder, conceived the Encore name in 2008 when the company was opening its second casino hotel in Las Vegas.
Maddox and other Wynn Resorts executives have asked Massachusetts regulators to remove Steve Wynn from the company’s casino license. Officials in Nevada, Massachusetts and Macau have been investigating the misconduct allegations and the company’s internal response to the complaints, which could lead to Wynn Resorts being found unsuitable to operate in those jurisdictions.
The new $2.5 billion resort, located in the Boston suburb of Everett, is scheduled to open next year.
Christopher Palmeri and Janelle Lawrence are reporters for Bloomberg News.
