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The Mike & Carla Morning Show

The Mike & Carla Morning Show

The Mike & Carla Morning Show

Steve Wynn Pays $10 Million Fine Ending Ties With Las Vegas

Author Carla Rea
Steve Wynn pays $10 million fine, ends Nevada Gaming Ties

Steve Wynn. The name has been synonymous to gaming in Las Vegas for decades. But that won’t be the case much longer.

Former Wynn Resorts Ltd. Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn signed a settlement agreement with the Nevada Gaming Control Board and will pay a $10 million fine that will bring an end to a sexual harassment complaint the board filed against him in 2019. The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider the settlement at its July 27 meeting in Carson City.

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that representatives of Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts had no comment on the settlement. If approved by the commission, the $10 million fine would be the largest ever assessed against an individual licensee.

Terms Of Settlement:

Under the terms of the settlement, Steve Wynn will not admit to or deny wrongdoing and will waive a hearing on the matter and “shall remain entirely removed from any direct or indirect affiliation, financing, consultation, promotional advertising in any form of media or licensing agreement in the Nevada gaming industry.”

The Gaming Control Board filed the sexual harassment complaint a year and a half after Wynn, 81, resigned his executive roles with Wynn Resorts Ltd., divested his financial interest in the company, and moved from a villa where he lived at The Wynn in early 2018.

Wynn Resorts Overhaul:

Several publications, including The Wall Street Journal, reported complaints from female employees about sexual harassment in early 2018. Wynn repeatedly denied  harassing anyone. In the weeks following the allegations, Wynn resigned his positions with the company, and resigned from his position of finance chair for the Republican National Committee.

In early 2019, the Nevada Gaming Commission fined Wynn Resorts $20 million for failing to respond to the harassment complaints from several women. A few months later, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission fined the company $35 million. 

Encore Boston Harbor opened in June 2019 and the scandal resulted in Wynn Resorts completely overhauling its board of directors. The very highly respected gaming industry leader, Phil Satre, was named the board’s chairman, with several women taking director roles.

Sexual Harassment Complaints Go Back To 2005:

The complaint was five-counts, 23-pages against Wynn. The investigation found that there were harassment complaints that started as early as 2005 when Steve Wynn was first licensed as an executive with Wynn Resorts.

During this time, several women in employment positions that were subordinate to Steve Wynn reported that he “subjected them to unwanted sexual advances,” the complaint said.

What’s Next:

Wynn, now a resident of Florida, isn’t expected to attend the July 27 meeting in Carson City. The five-member commission will be asked to approve the settlement, signed by Wynn, his attorney Colby Williams, and Control Board Chairman Kirk Hendricks on Monday, and by Commissioner George Assad on Tuesday.

If the settlement is approved, Wynn would have three business days to transfer the $10 million fine to the Control Board.

According to terms of the settlement, Wynn waived his right to a public hearing, however, if he violates any terms of the settlement, Nevada gaming regulators could move to find him unsuitable, and he would face additional fines and disciplinary action. 

Tipflation And When It's Ok NOT To Tip -- Even In Las Vegas

Tipping has gotten out of control – even in Las Vegas, which is considered a tipping city.

If you feel like you’re being asked to tip just about everywhere you go these days, you are not alone. In addition to those traditional establishments and businesses — restaurants, barber shops, Uber and Lyft — customers are being prompted to tip everywhere, from convenience store counters to self-checkout kiosks at airports. And it’s gotten out of hand.

Las Vegas is the land of tipping. Servers, bartenders dealers, valet, bell desk, concierge – it’s non-stop!

 

Tipflation:

Etiquette experts Like Thomas Farley — who is known as Mister Manners — are calling it “tipflation.” Farley says that people are really feeling imposed upon. We’re  through very inflationary times. Everything is very expensive. And on top of that, you’re being asked every time you turn around, ‘How much would you like to tip?’

It feels pushy, it feels needy and honestly – why aren’t businesses paying people more? And in personally speaking to fast food, and mall food kiosk workers – they don’t see that tip money that people add on – only the cash! Not right business owners – not right!

When to tip:

I don’t think many of us have a problem tipping servers for great service. We’re glad to leave a good tip when someone brings our food and drinks, we don’t have to cook or clean, and that person made it a great time. Tipping room attendants is also a good thing to do. They are, after all, cleaning up what we just do not need to see. But stop turning the tablet when I just literally got my own water out of the case!
Everyone loves a tip, but not everyone can afford to do it the way we are now being prompted to. There are many business, and scenarios where Mister Manners, and those who work in them, say they don’t expect tips, and it’s not necessary.

So put your wallet away, and take notice of these five people and scenarios that don’t require a tip.

 

  • Professionals

    As a blanket rule, you don’t need to tip anyone who earns a salary or performs a trade. That means you don’t have to tip doctors, lawyers, teachers, plumbers or cable techs. Not only would it not be expected, it would be highly unorthodox and very awkward.  Plus, in certain situations, it could be seen as attempting to get some sort of favor or that it might be some sort of a bribe.

    Tipping professionals

    iStock via Getty Images

     

  • Counter Service

    As a rule, anyone working at a counter is earning a wage, while those delivering food, either to your table or to your home, rely on tips as a major part of their income. Tipping people who work behind a counter, such as a barista or a cashier, is not a requirement as far as etiquette experts are concerned — even if that tablet suggests otherwise.  But when they turn that device around, it’s this glaring thing, and people feel shamed into tipping,  That’s not to say a tip for a counter worker is out of the question, and isn’t a nice gesture.  If you frequent the place regularly, and they have your order memorized, then go for it!

    Tipping counter service

    iStock via Getty Images

  • Open Bar Events

    If you go to an event with an open bar, the bar staff may or may not put out a tip jar. But s a rule of thumb,  the host of that event has likely already taken care of the tip. It would be included in what they’ve had to pay for the venue or bartending service. This means you’re not obligated to tip, too. It is, of course, appreciated  and may help get you better service throughout the night.  Now, if they give you a heavier pour., a buck or two isn’t much to ask.

    Tipping

    iStock via Getty Images

  • Double Tipping

    You don’t have to tip twice for the same service. Like the your nail girl, who you tipped, but had to pay at the counter, and were prompted to tip again. Sorry, but that’s just the business trying to get more money out of you! The situation is a little trickier in cities that have implemented minimum wage requirements for tipped workers, such as restaurant servers. Some restaurants in these cities will apply a 20% service charge to your bill before giving you with the option to tip. In those situations, it’s ok to discreetly ask your server where the fee is going. If it goes to the servers, bussers and so forth, you don’t have to tip again. If the money goes to the house, you’ll want to leave a tip for the server who took care of you. From an etiquette standpoint, we still tip the servers who are bringing us our food,  but you don’t have to do 20% on top of 20%!

    Tipping

    iStock via Getty Images

  • Poor Service

    You’re never obligated to tip someone for poor service or if you’ve had a rude interaction with them. In the case of a one-on-one service, such as a haircut, this is pretty cut and dried. In fact, if they ruined your hair, they don’t deserve a tip, and you probably need a refund. In the case of a restaurant, it gets a little trickier. Use a sliding scale for restaurant tipping, with 20% as the standard, and more if a server goes above and beyond. Even with bad service, you shouldn’t go lower than 10%, because often the server is not at fault. If the food took too long to come out, that’s a kitchen issue. If it wasn’t made properly, that’s a kitchen issue. A bad interaction with a server, you may not tip much, but be sure to bring it up with management. That way they’ll know you weren’t just a jerk.

    Tipping

    iStock via Getty Images

     

 

 

Carla Rea is the morning show co-host on “The Mike and Carla Morning Show" on 96.3 KKLZ, in Las Vegas. She has been working with her partner and friend Mike O'Brian for the past 25 plus years. At KKLZ for 12 years. Carla Rea is a Gracie Award winner. She started out in talk radio, "when talk radio was still fun" Rea says. Prior to, and along with doing the morning show, Carla is also a comedian. You may have seen her on Conan O'Brien, Evening at The Improv, Showtime, or several comedy clubs across the country. Carla also worked as a light feature reporter at KSNV/NBC Las Vegas, going behind the scenes at various shows, and restaurants on the Las Vegas strip. As a content creator 96.3 KKLZ, Carla writes in a sarcastic, cheeky, unapologetic way on Las Vegas, movies, TV, celebrities, and this thing we call life.

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