Jul 10, 2018 Newsdesk Latest News, Top of the deck, World  
The board of U.S.-based casino operator Wynn Resorts Ltd has reportedly rejected a candidate proposed by majority shareholder Elaine Wynn as chairman or vice chairman of the firm. That is according to a statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday by Ms Wynn.
The filing did not identify the candidate proposed by Ms Wynn. A report by Bloomberg News identified the person as Phil Satre, the former chief executive of Harrah’s Entertainment, now called Caesars Entertainment Corp. He is currently chairman of casino equipment maker International Game Technology Plc.
The news agency said Mr Satre had confirmed to Bloomberg he withdrew his name from consideration for a Wynn Resorts board seat, but Mr Sartre did not provided further details about the matter.
Wynn Resorts is the parent company of Macau casino operator Wynn Macau Ltd. The parent firm has expressed interest in bidding for a potential casino licence in Japan.
In her latest filing, Ms Wynn stated that her proposed candidate was “extremely well-qualified”, having served “on the boards of at least six public companies, including as chairman of the board of three public companies, and has extensive credibility with gaming industry regulators”. The document added that the person was not a “close associate” of Ms Wynn.
The filing said “the reason provided for [Wynn Resorts] board’s decision was that neither the nominating and corporate governance committee nor the full board wanted to bring in an outsider as a vice chairman, despite the candidate’s qualifications.”
Ms Wynn further added that, “in an effort to resolve differences between the company and herself, [she] had offered to sign a multi-year standstill in exchange for the candidate’s appointment as chairman.”
The filing stated that the candidate had “made a board leadership position (chair or vice chair) an express condition to his willingness to join the board, because he felt that a leadership role would be necessary for him to be in a position to help address the company’s regulatory issues.”
The document added: “While the board offered the candidate a board seat, the board did so knowing that it would not meet the candidate’s condition, and he declined.”
In the filing, Ms Wynn again called for all board members of Wynn Resorts to be elected annually. She also expressed concerns that the board “would do something inappropriate with respect to the terms of the departure of Kim Sinatra,” arguing that Wynn Resorts should seek advice whether to consider this a ‘for cause’ termination. Ms Sinatra will cease to serve as the company’s executive vice president, general counsel and secretary with effect from July 15.
Wynn Resorts has been under pressure from Ms Wynn, a co-founder of the firm, and from some investor advisory firms, to bring in new faces at senior level since the publicity given in January to allegations that former chairman and chief executive Steve Wynn had sexually harassed employees. The entrepreneur has denied the claims, and eventually left the firm in February.
The structure of the Wynn Resorts’ board has changed dramatically over the past three months, with 60 percent of the directors that had been in place at the start of the year now having departed.
The casino company announced in April the appointment of three new directors for its board, all of them women.
May 29, 2023
May 16, 2023
Jun 09, 2023
Jun 09, 2023
Jun 09, 2023
None of Macau’s six gaming concessionaires have so far applied for a form of “exemption” from the full 40-percent tax rate on casino gross gaming revenue (GGR), as potentially applicable...Jun 09, 2023
Commercial opportunities for utilisation of...Jun 08, 2023
Gaming content and equipment maker Konami says it is...Jun 07, 2023
Casino gaming content and hardware provider Light &...Jun 06, 2023
Electronic table games (ETGs) supplier Interblock dd is...Jun 05, 2023
Random number generator (RNG) testing tools are among the...Jun 01, 2023
Alfastreet, a manufacturer of electronic gaming machines,...Jun 01, 2023
Casino equipment maker Sega Sammy Creation Inc is tweaking...Jun 01, 2023
The iGaming segment in Asia “has grown rapidly” since...May 31, 2023
Showing slot machine players – via animations on the...May 31, 2023
Macau stocks in likelihood “have been punished too much...May 31, 2023
There are foreign companies still interested in investing...May 31, 2023
Thailand could pass the necessary enabling legislation for...May 30, 2023
China will remain a key market for Asian gaming...May 30, 2023
Alejandro Tengco (pictured in a file photo), chairman and...May 30, 2023
There are “plenty of reasons” for the global gaming...May 30, 2023
Gaming equipment provider International Game Technology Plc...May 30, 2023
The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2023 Special Edition:...May 29, 2023
Austria-based gaming equipment maker and operator Novomatic...May 25, 2023
Sports betting and online casino operating platform...May 24, 2023
The business performance in Asia of gaming content and...May 18, 2023
The organisers of Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2023...May 17, 2023
Gaming content and equipment supplier Light & Wonder...May 16, 2023
Casino equipment maker Sega Sammy Creation Inc is to...May 09, 2023
Casino slot machine and digital gaming content provider...May 05, 2023
The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia event in Singapore is the...May 04, 2023
An adviser to a Thailand parliamentary committee mulling...(Click here for more)
”We believe the intrinsic value of IGT’s market-leading businesses and diversified cash flow profile is not currently reflected in our stock price and the timing is right to assess opportunities that may enhance value for IGT’s shareholders”
Marco Sala
Executive chair of casino equipment supplier IGT