Wynn CEO Matt Maddox May Become Las Vegas Raiders President: Report

Posted on: January 6, 2022, 12:59h. 

Last updated on: January 7, 2022, 08:40h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Matt Maddox still has more than three weeks left in his tenure as the CEO for Wynn Resorts. However, a report surfaced Tuesday indicating another Las Vegas entity wants Maddox to lead its operations.

Matt Maddox
Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox is set to leave the company at the end of this month. A report published in the New York Post this week said his next job may be as president of the Las Vegas Raiders. (Image: Wynn Resorts)

The New York Post reported that the Las Vegas Raiders are considering tapping Maddox as its next team president.

The Post’s On The Money column noted that the Raiders previous team president resigned in July, along with the team’s CFO and comptroller, after the team uncovered some financial irregularities.

In addition, the Raiders had to part ways with coach Jon Gruden after media reports uncovered he used homophobic and racist language in emails.

That would mean Maddox would come to the Raiders under circumstances similar to when he became the CEO at Wynn. He arrived after founder Steve Wynn resigned from the company four years ago amid complaints of sexual misconduct and harassment.

The scandal involving Wynn at the company he founded in 2002 took a heavy reputational toll on the company, which operates luxury casino resorts in Las Vegas, Macau, and Boston.

Maddox Rebuilt Wynn After Scandal

Maddox has said his proudest accomplishment while serving as Wynn’s CEO has been repairing the image of the upscale gaming company. He claimed to regain the trust of the company’s employees in management.

Our culture was shaken in 2018 and 2019, and I feel like we’ve gotten it back and the people trust us,” Maddox said during a 2021 Global Gaming Expo keynote session. “And you know, really, that’s the most powerful thing.”

Having that trust restored allowed the company to implement COVID-19 protocols a year ago that led to 87 percent of the Wynn workforce getting vaccinated by June.

When Maddox announced his planned departure in November, Wynn Chairman Philip Satre credited Maddox’s decision-making during the pandemic. He noted the company’s culture has never been better.

“Matt’s strategy to confront the pandemic and its economic impact on the Company proved to be the correct one: Make decisions focused on the welfare of employees, guests, and communities, and invariably the business and its shareholders will reap the rewards,” Satre said. “He was a leader in the recovery of the Nevada hospitality industry, and his leadership in this area was recognized nationally as well.”

Maddox Embraces Vegas

Rumors have circulated about what the 46-year-old Maddox will do next, and the Raiders opportunity would certainly be a fit, according to Satre. In a November letter to Wynn team members and stockholders, he said that Maddox wants to explore new opportunities outside of the gaming industry.

At the same time, Maddox has embraced Las Vegas, as the Post referenced a guest column he wrote in October 2020 for The Nevada Independent.

“I have been deeply entrenched in the economy and culture of Las Vegas for almost two decades,” Wynn wrote. “This is not only a place I love and call home; this is a place that I understand.”