It’s no surprise to those of us who live in Las Vegas that Steve Wynn’s day of reckoning has come. Mr. Wynn, the casino mogul, who bears that waxy look we associate with Las Vegas wealth — tanned skin, coifed hair and unnaturally white teeth — has been accused of sexual misconduct.
In the recent cultural movement during which many powerful men have been publicly accused of sexual harassment, Mr. Wynn is the first who is a C.E.O. of a publicly traded company in an industry that primarily employs hourly wage earners: casino workers, waitresses, housekeepers, and others who punch a clock every workday.
Compared with his accusers, Mr. Wynn is extraordinarily powerful. He has 11,000 employees in Las Vegas alone and has solidified his influence with millions of dollars in political contributions. The allegations against him should remind us of the vast economic disparities that make low-paid women especially vulnerable to misconduct by their wealthy bosses.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal provided a detailed report of Mr. Wynn’s purported patterns of sexual misconduct against female employees. Mr. Wynn has denied the allegations. According to the report, he exposed himself in front of women, in an on-site office, who were assigned to provide him spa services. He’s accused of repeatedly pressuring them into unwanted sexual acts.
I’ve already heard people suggesting that my city is to blame for Mr. Wynn — that the Las Vegas Strip’s overtly sexualized culture enables powerful men like him to maintain their patterns of sexual harassment. That may have contributed, but when it comes to women facing workplace abuse, another dynamic does just as much harm: the culture of income inequality.