Steve Wynn’s announcement usually draws a lot of accolades and accolades from the Las Vegas, but that’s not the case this time. Local gaming and government officials were instead meeting and expressing concern after Wynn Resorts chairman said on a cable business network on Wednesday he was considering moving the company’s headquarters from Las Vegas to Macau.
“I would say this is just a conversation. It’s going to be hard to reconcile all of his interests in Macau,” said Bill Thompson, a professor of public administration at the University of Nevada who specializes in gaming issues. “Symbolically, this will have a negative impact and give a really bad message about Las Vegas. Maybe (Win) wants something and he’s saying this to get it out of his system.”
Wynn’s surprise announcement to CNBC was the day she held a $600 million encore performance with all 414 rooms in Wynn Macau. The announcement was one of several notable comments Wynn made during a series of media interviews surrounding the unveiling of the new Macau hotel casino.
In addition to proposing to relocate its corporate headquarters to Macau, a special administrative region in China, Win said it hopes to start construction on a third hotel casino next year on a 52-acre site in Macau’s Kotai Streep.
Wynn also continued the conversation he began when he appeared on several Fox News television talk shows in October to criticize the administration’s handling of the economy while criticizing President Barack Obama’s policies. 스포츠토토
But what drew most of the attention locally was his announcement that he was considering moving his headquarters and more than 100 corporate employees to Macau. Councillor Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas, said she didn’t want Wynn to follow his ideas.
“The loss of Wynn Resorts will be a devastating blow to Southern Nevada and our economy,” Buckley said. “Much of Las Vegas’ modern image known throughout the world today exists as a result of his vision and he remains a leader in the industry.”
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman also wanted casino developers to not get serious about the idea.
“We want all game executives to think of Las Vegas as the No. 1 player,” Goodman said. “Moving headquarters elsewhere indicates they don’t feel that way.”
Wynn Resorts is a member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, and a spokesperson for the group thought the move to China would not be a unified message.
“As we rebuild our economy, Las Vegas needs the creativity of visionaries like Steve Wynn at the forefront of reshaping Las Vegas for next-level growth,” said Cara Roberts, the conference’s public relations director.
Wynn did not give details of a possible headquarters move, only saying it was considering the idea and would raise the issue with the company’s board.
“It’s not impossible or unrealistic given that it makes sense to spend most of your time in China, given that a lot of your income comes from China,” Win told CNBC. “I’m seriously considering that and I’m weighing the implications of how I design it.” In a subsequent interview with Bloomberg, Wynn said much of the desire to leave Las Vegas was due to the economic direction set by Obama.
“U.S. government policy is putting a damper on cold water, putting a wet blanket on it,” Wynn said. “They delay investment, they delay job creation, they delay making a better life for their citizens despite the president’s rhetoric.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was asked about Wynn’s comments about Obama’s policies at a news conference on banking reform.
“I won’t argue with Mr. Wynn, who has done much for Las Vegas, but I will say that taxes are at an all-time low. The tax picture he complained about is not there.”
Wynn said Wednesday he was focusing his efforts on Macau and would skip potential opportunities in Las Vegas.
“I don’t think the current Las Vegas market suggests large investment,” Win told Bloomberg. “The U.S. economic outlook, which does not favor job creation, this administration’s policy does not encourage investment at all.”
If Win follows through on his threat, he will not be tracked by Las Vegas Sands, which operates three resorts in the Chinese enclave and is expected to resume construction of four more hotel casinos on Kotai Streep this year.
Las Vegas Sands President Michael Leven said Singapore’s $5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands, which opens next week, could generate 85% of its total cash flow in the Asian market once fully operational.