The casino gaming space job fair collected 2000 applications, while a job fair for the cleaning staff drew hundreds more applicants.
Last month, Encore held their first of many expected job fairs in hopes of hiring more than 5,000 employees to fill close to 600 positions their new luxury casino resort needs to run. This two-day job fair was the start of a series Encore plans on holding.
Despite Encore Boston Harbor’s future being uncertain, the new hotel and casino begins hiring the 5,000 employees they need for their opening this coming June. The available jobs range from baristas to housekeeping to poker dealers and everything in between. As they pretty much start from scratch, the hotel casino has a lot to do in terms of hiring and training before their expected opening in June.
Applicants were welcomed with a nontraditional interview process. Wynn’s management turned the atmosphere into a typical casino experience. Following applicant’s preliminary interviews, job fair participants waited for further interviews while a DJ played music. Company employees coaxed prospects into games of cornhole and Jenga.
Angela Span, a job fair application, said of the process, “The wait wasn’t long. And games and music made a big difference. So it’s different than just sitting around a bunch of people staring. And everybody is looking for a job. This was very free. It was very relaxing.”
Job Fair Seemed Like Casino Party
While some found that the process was more like a party than an interview, others saw it as one thing and one thing only, a job interview.
Upendra Chawla came to the fair in hopes of acquiring a full-time position after a year of driving for Uber. Chawla questioned his success on the day after he was only interviewed once whereas one of his friends who also attended the event received multiple interviews.
Chawla told the Boston Globe, “I thought it was going to be more than that. I thought I’d get a second interview. I want to change into something new, but I’m not sure how my skills apply here.”
Housekeeper Job Fair on March 28
Wynn Resorts had a job fair for Housekeeping, Cleaning and Kitchen Stewarding Teams scheduled on March 28 from 10 am to 6 pm, as well as many more in the works before their tentative open in June.
With more than 2,000 resumes submitted before the event even started, Encore appears on its way to filling positions at the casino, which has its grand opening in June. Casinos must train employees, so they need to fill most positions 6 weeks to 3 months before a grand opening. One issue puts a cloud over those prospects, though.
Encore Boston Harbor Licensing Issues
Encore Boston Harbor‘s ownership group, Wynn Resorts, faced oversight hearings into whether the company should keep its Boston license. Steve Wynn stepped down as CEO allegations of sexual assault were placed against him. According to allegations made in the Wall Street Journal, Wynn, 77, pressured more than one of his manicurists to have sex with him. He later paid her a settlement of $7.5 million.
It was later discovered that the settlement was paid with the knowledge of the Wynn board of directors. The board’s role was not revealed to the regulators in Massachusetts and Nevada for many years. In particular, Wynn Resorts did not make the various allegations known to Massachusetts Gaming Commission while the company was working towards getting a gaming license to build the new luxury casino.
Steve Wynn resigned because claims (he denies) were made by many former employees of the former Casino tycoon. Steve Wynn stepped down as CEO of Wynn Resorts Ltd. and as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, due to the allegations. The Nevada Gaming Commission found the board guilty of 10 separate cover-ups and fined the company $20 million. A decision by the Massachusetts regulators is forthcoming.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission plans a three-day adjudicatory hearing on April 2-4 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The hearing could determine whether or not Wynn Resorts Ltd. is suitable to hold a gaming license in Massachusetts. This decision holds a $2.6 billion project in the balance. The opening of the 3 million-square-foot, 5,000-employee casino fully depends on this decision from the commission.
Encore Boston Harbor
As of April 11, the Encore Boston Harbor license remained in limbo, though the Massachusetts House budgeted for the casino’s revenues. Most signs point to Wynn Resorts keeping its Boston casino license — not least the $42 million the House members expect to receive in tax revenues. Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria also said he would block the sell of the casino to rival operators like Mohegan Sun, who got into heated exchanges with Everett officials when Mohegan Sun and Suffolk Downs pushed a Revere casino plan.
The most likely scenario is a significant fine for Wynn Resorts, something in the order of the $20 million fine the Nevada Gaming Commission assessed to Wynn Resorts for the same misconduct. Boston area pundits keep calling for more. Several columnists have called for Matt Maddox, the current CEO, to resign, because he served on the same board with Steve Wynn. Others suggested Matt Maddox should resign, but also called for Steve Wynn’s former wife, Elaine Wynn, to be pushed out, too. Since Elaine Wynn sued Wynn Resorts in 2015 to gain the legal right to cash out her $1.5 billion in Wynn stock, she might welcome that development.
