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Steve Wynn Says He Brought 'A Higher Level of Taste' to Las Vegas

Gaming in Washington

Steve Wynn insists that the NCAA betting bill is different than most gaming-related measures because of the media-friendly coalition of college coaches and the perception that it is about betting on kids. And he thinks that obviously illogical, anti-gaming legislation will continue to fall by the wayside. But he said the lobbying presence of the American Gaming Association is essential.

Wynn: Without a trade association ... you're a dead duck, you've got no voice ... without that, politicians and legislation is inextricably bound up in the election process. It doesn't buy you a vote, but it does buy you two minutes of time. Without it, you're in a lot of trouble.

Indian gaming in California

Wynn: Right now, we're a little bit in denial, a little euphoric because it hasn't happened yet ... (The impact will be) something interesting and substantial, and it will hit different parts of the Nevada economy differently.

Steve Wynn

It'll come in this way: Someone comes over here to enjoy slots and slot clubs and have fun and get a good room rate six times a year. Now all of a sudden they have everything in Palm Springs and San Diego. So they make two trips instead of six, or maybe five.

Gaming and taxes

Wynn: I'm making a very plain statement: A cross-section of the gaming industry is not healthy, and has been getting less healthy as a group ... I think (Gov. Kenny Guinn) is right, that we've got to revisit the tax base. In this state, any tax you revisit impacts gaming more than anyone else. Business. Sales. Payroll ... Let me put it this way: One way or another, the gaming companies of Nevada are going to pay more taxes.

The mayor and downtown

Wynn clearly is not sanguine about downtown's future -- he now owns no property there -- although he thinks if the city could find the right use for that vacant downtown land, revitalization is possible. As for His Honor Oscar Goodman:

Wynn: You know what's great about him; he believes anything is possible. He wants something good to happen on his watch so bad he can't sleep at night ... He is brimming with optimism. He wants a better tomorrow and he thinks he can make that happen ... I'm a similar kind of personality.

As for Goodman's stadium idea, which Wynn first encouraged him to consider, he now says: "I don't know. There are so many caveats to that discussion ... In certain scenarios, it's a wonderful idea; in others, it gets to be pretty tenuous."

The NAACP

Wynn did not hold back when he was asked about the local NAACP's demand of $100 million from MGM Mirage and its declaration that he was next on the list:

Wynn: The NAACP in Las Vegas is a bogus organization. The chapter has lost its footing ... Like anything else, if you don't have good help, the quality of leadership fails, the organization becomes a caricature of what it might be ... No one's taking it very seriously ... It's a group of people who are mostly near-misses.

What he brought to LV

Wynn: A higher level of taste to the game ... There was a blue-collar mentality, a lot of people thought Las Vegas was not for them ... I'm not talking about super-rich people, but people who wanted better food, better clothes, better shopping ... (We) brought to the game a sensitivity for good taste.

If there's a difference between Mirage Resorts and my regime and the rest of the companies, it wasn't a volcano or pirate show, it was my attitude toward the public. I always believed people knew the difference between good and bad, between clean and ugly ... A lot of places people built here tastelessly. There's a lot of ugly crap in Las Vegas, I say, with apologies to the fellows responsible. There's more bad taste on the Strip today, more hideous, ugly architecture than you can shake a stick at.

His image

Wynn talked about attorney Marty Keach's performance at the state Supreme Court during a recent case involving Mirage Resorts, in which Keach wondered if the justices could be impartial because Wynn is "much more powerful than the governor."

Wynn: That was a technique. He was trying to intimidate them (the justices) to vote for his client. He didn't have the law on his side. When you don't have the law, you do some kind of theatrical performance. That's very ill-conceived in that environment, to attack the integrity of the judges in the Supreme Court of the state of Nevada. . . .

For the benefit of some kind of media, he falsely accused these people who are very serious citizens. It was a crazy thing to do. It was technically unethical and improper. He'll be lucky if he doesn't get brought up on charges. You're not allowed to do that, to go up and tell the Supreme Court judges they're dishonest . . . Mr. Keach was imperious, belligerent and acted very foolishly.

When asked about his image for calling politicians and journalists and ripping them to shreds for something they had said or written, Wynn was unrepentant.

Wynn: The idea that because I was the CEO of Mirage Resorts that I didn't have as much right to free speech as you guys in the press is ridiculous. The guys in the press don't like it if anybody talks back to them. You're very sensitive. The idea is you're supposed to sit there and take any criticism people level at you quietly? I've always been a guy who does not turn the other cheek.

Wynn insisted his political clout has been greatly exaggerated by the media, that he has "never had any influence in this state other than what I had because of my employees."

When pressed on whether he really believes that his willingness to go after politicians also has made him an intimidating figure, he replied:

"If that causes people to be intimidated, the fact that I answer back, that I don't suffer in silence ... if people find the response is intimidating, that's right, I guess."

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