Elaine Wynn, Co-Founder of Casino Giant, Dies at 82

Posted on: April 15, 2025, 10:01h. 

Last updated on: April 15, 2025, 10:07h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • She co-founded Wynn Resorts with her ex-husband, Steve
  • The two previously worked on a variety of fabled Las Vegas casinos
  • A cause of death hasn’t been reported

Elaine Wynn, co-founder of the casino operator bearing her married name, has died. She was 82 years old. A cause of death hasn’t been revealed.

Elaine Wynn. She passed away at 82 years old. (Image: Instagram/@kgcosmetics)

Known as “Ms. Las Vegas” in some circles and an active philanthropist in the city and beyond, Elaine Wynn partnered with ex-husband and former Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) chairman and CEO Steve Wynn to develop some of Sin City’s most storied casino hotels.

“She played an instrumental role in shaping the modern-day Las Vegas, from the Golden Nugget where she infused glitter gulch with a little luxury, to The Mirage, establishing the paradigm for everything that followed, including Bellagio, Wynn and Encore resorts,” according to a statement issued by the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation.

She was an active part of the Nevada education community and served in various capacities at the local, state, and national levels. Her foundation noted that the last five governors of the state — a quintet spanning both political parties — called on her for counsel on education matters.

Turbulent Times With Steve Wynn

Elaine and Steve Wynn had a turbulent romantic relationship. After marrying in 1963, the couple divorced in 1986 only to remarry five years later. They stayed together until a second divorce in 2010 — one that rocked the gaming world with a $1 billion settlement and a pledge by Steve to keep his ex-wife on the board of Wynn Resorts.

That was a mere prelude of things to come. In early 2018, the Wall Street Journal broke a story detailing various allegations against Steve Wynn, forcing him from the gaming company he founded.

It’s rumored that Elaine contacted female staffers of the gaming with whom her former husband allegedly had contact, pushing them to come forward and detail his mistreatment of them. What ensued was Elaine becoming one of the early faces of the “Me Too” movement and her former spouse departing the gaming industry for good. All that just two years after she described as “a brilliant man” in an interview with Town & Country.

Steve insisted that his ex-wife orchestrated a personal hit job on him and the imbroglio nearly cost the company its gaming license for Encore Boston Harbor — its lone casino hotel in the US outside of Las Vegas. Elaine would later deny covering up an incident that was probed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), which made the operator vulnerable to license forfeiture.

Her legacy outside the gaming industry is far less complex and largely positive. Beyond her involvement in education, she was active in the arts community, too.

“Her impact extended far beyond the Las Vegas experience. At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), with Michael Govan, Ms. Wynn championed accessibility to the arts, a commitment that enhanced the cultural fabric of the community,” according to the press release issued by her foundation. “Her leadership was characterized by grace and ambition, ensuring that art remained an essential part of our shared experience.  Her recently announced collaboration with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kere to build the Las Vegas Art Museum in partnership with LACMA is another example of her commitment to the cultural arts in Las Vegas.”

Elaine Wynn Was Major Investor in Casino Company

Elaine maintained a board seat at Wynn until 2015 when her ex-husband pushed for her ouster, triggering additional litigation. She ultimately agreed to leave.

When he sold his stake in the gaming company following his departure, Elaine became Wynn’s largest individual investor, holding 8% of the shares outstanding. With control of more than 12% of Wynn equity, Tilman Fertitta now has the title of the company’s biggest investor.

Neither Wynn Resorts nor the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation have commented on potential plans for Elaine’s Wynn shares, but she is survived by two daughters and seven grandchildren.