Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has called the allegations of sexual misconduct against casino magnate Steve Wynn "appalling and disgraceful."
But on Monday he said he wanted to give the state’s gaming commission space to conduct its own review of the charges against the man behind a casino going up near Boston.
The Wall Street Journal, citing interviews with dozens of people, reported Friday on "a decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct," including instances of pressuring employees to perform sex acts.
Wynn, who is building a resort casino in Everett that was licensed by the gaming commission, issued a statement to the paper calling assault claims "preposterous." Over the weekend he stepped down as finance chair of the Republican National Commission.
Noting that the Massachusetts casino gaming law has a suitability standard for licensees, Baker said the gaming commission should "act accordingly" if it finds Wynn no longer meets that standard.
"We hope they move quickly and take that suitability standard seriously," Baker said during his monthly "Ask the Governor" segment on WGBH's Boston Public Radio show.
He also noted that the board of Wynn Resorts, which is a publicly traded company, is doing its own review.
Pressed on whether he thinks the acts alleged in The Wall Street Journal would pass the suitability test, Baker said, "God, no," but he also added, "I'm not the decision-maker."
"Let the gaming commission do what they need to do here," Baker said. "My hope is that they can move very quickly to reach a conclusion."
This report was originally published by State House News Service.
