Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

Baldwin and Murren have been paid the same until now. I doubt Baldwin would leave until after CityCenter is completed, but if he really does have expertise heading up construction projects and can successfully roll out CityCenter, who would be better to rejoin Steve Wynn and do the same for the golf course redevelopment? With the current slowdown, the timing could be perfect in 2010 for Baldwin to leave. Bobby was the key player in Bellagio's almost flawless opening ten years ago.

Bobby is old school and thats why I like him. He knows what Vegas was like, so guys like him are an asset no matter where he ends up. The worst are these outsiders that want to reinvent Vegas.

Doesn't Lanni leave on Nov. 30th?
I'm thinking Murren will take over on Dec. 1st.

My guess is that Baldwin will be COO under Murren.

Yes, the change over is 12/1. That was in the release.

If Baldwin was going to be COO I would have expected the board to name him as such, which they did not. The COO spot may be unfilled for a few months.

Baldwin could not have been happy a year ago when Murren was made COO - it basically shoved Baldwin aside and reduced his responsibility, even if his new job as head of design sounds like the most 'fun' in the company.

Many anonymous sources said that Baldwin was very unhappy when Murren was named COO a couple years ago, and that Steve Wynn made several huge offers for Baldwin to come to WYNN. Some of the stories report that Baldwin got burned out when he worked for Steve before, and that no amount of money would be worth it to get back into Wynn's pressure cooker. These stories are just that, stories, so who knows?

Here's a long shot guess; Gamal Aziz.

Gamal Aziz would be an excellent pic for that promotion. He's done wonders with the MGM Grand.

Not so odd that Lanni isn't taking a seat on the board in light of the fact that three states' gaming control boards, including (somewhat reluctantly) Nevada's are looking into the phantom degrees on his resume. He's sparing the company much potential grief by quietly bowing out this way. It shows class. Some casino executives have to dragged out kicking and screaming.

Regarding Bobby Baldwin, page 158 of "Winner Takes All" gives insight about why Baldwin did not stay with Wynn. Paraphrased-Wynn is difficult to work for and shares the blame much more than he shares the credit. Kerkorian is about the opposite.

I think the Lanni issue is very sad. I think he has a better resume than most anyone who has an MBA from USC, yet a great deal of people at the top of the Casino biz don't have any better education, and are rumored to have gotten to their level through the help of very shady contacts. This is a harder fall than Lanni deserves.