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Controversial former casino mogul Steve Wynn has been invited to light Al Davis’s memorial torch ahead of Sunday’s Raiders game against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium.
In a statement released Friday night, the Raiders said Wynn “was one of the first to lend his support and meet Raiders owner Mark Davis and was a champion in bringing the Raiders to Las Vegas.”
Wynn, 79, is recognized as a video game industry visionary who brought an erupting volcano, a pirate ship and a choreographed ballet of dancing waters to the Strip. But he left the industry amid a flood of accusations of sexual harassment and demanding sexual favors and assaults against hotel workers.
Wynn has denied all allegations of harassment.
He resigned from his position as President and CEO of Wynn Resorts Ltd. in February 2018, got rid of his investments in the business in less than a month and left his home in the complex in less than two months.
In the aftermath of the scandal, the Nevada Gaming Commission fined Wynn Resorts $ 20 million, a record that still stands in Nevada.
The company was punished for damaging the state’s reputation by failing to investigate allegations by at least eight women that they were sexually harassed in their workplaces.
In Massachusetts, state officials have demanded that Wynn’s name be removed from the 671-room luxury hotel under construction in Everett. The $ 2.6 billion resort opened as Encore Boston Harbor in June 2019, but not before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission fined it $ 35 million and CEO Matt Maddox $ 500. 000 dollars, concluding that company executives had not properly handled any inappropriate behavior.
Rare public appearance
Sunday’s torchlighting event is believed to be Steve Wynn’s first public appearance in Las Vegas since leaving Wynn Resorts.
He is also due to deliver a keynote address for The Genesis Group of the Mohawk Valley Region, an economic development organization in Utica, New York, on October 14.
When asked to comment on the speech, Wynn responded through a representative, saying “now that he’s a private citizen he doesn’t want to be interviewed anymore.”
Wynn officials could not be reached on Friday night to comment on Steve Wynn’s invitation to light the torch, a new pre-game tradition at the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium.
Standing 93 feet tall, the torch at the north end of the stadium, in front of the stadium veranda doors, has been a fan favorite at games and events. Considered the largest 3D printed object in the world, the structure was created in carbon fiber and aluminum.
The torch uses a mixture of lights and fog to reproduce a flame. Inside the torch base is a 100 gallon tank that provides the water needed to create the fog.
The Raiders said the tradition of lighting the torch began in 2011 in Oakland, with “many Raiders alumni, celebrities and fans having the privilege of lighting the torch before every home game.”
Al Davis is the former Raiders owner who died in 2011. The Torch is a “tribute to Mr. Davis’ legacy as a longtime Raiders owner, Professional Football Hall of Fame inductee, coach of the ‘AFL year (and) AFL commissioner, “the team said in a statement.
Since construction began on the $ 2 billion stadium, the Raiders have carefully thanked the public figures who helped raise $ 750 million in public funds to build it.
First funder
Wynn was among gaming industry executives who traveled to Carson City for a special legislative session called by former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval in October 2016.
“I am not allowed to speak on behalf of the NFL officially or unofficially,” Wynn said at the time before reassuring reporters that the required 24 out of 32 owners would vote in favor of relocating the Raiders to Las Vegas. . “(Dallas Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones and (New England Patriots owner) Robert Kraft have told me the NFL is ready to do it. Personally, I believe that if we lose this opportunity, it will be one of the most heartbreaking mistakes we can ever make. “
Earlier this month, Sandoval lit the torch ahead of the Raiders’ home opener against Baltimore. Last month, at the home opener of the Raiders preseason, Dr. Miriam Adelson, co-founder of the Adelson Family Foundation and widow of Sheldon Adelson, lit the torch.
The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Dr Miriam Adelson.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at [email protected] or 702-477-3893. To follow @RickVelotta on Twitter. Review-Journal digital content producer Mark Davis contributed to this report.
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