Wynn Resorts is creating a scholarship program for the children of its employees.
Wynn Resorts and CEO Craig S. Billings have created a $2 million endowment to fund the Craig S. Billings Endowed Scholarship. The program will support children of eligible Wynn employees in North America who are pursuing undergraduate degrees at UNLV’s Lee Business School, the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering or the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.
The first awards will be made for the fall semester of 2027. Billings graduated from UNLV in 1997 with an accounting degree and said his own experience balancing work and school shaped the scholarship’s design. The goal is to help students with financial need stay on track academically and prepare for careers in fields central to Southern Nevada’s workforce.
Billings said he wanted to support colleagues by helping their children pursue higher education.
“So many of these people work tirelessly every day delivering the Wynn experience, in part to allow their children to achieve more,” Billings said in a news release. “Having earned an undergraduate degree at UNLV that prepared me well for my future, I can think of no better way to help than to assist in the education of their children.”
UNLV President Chris Heavey said the gift aligns with the values of both the university and Wynn Resorts.
“For many students, the biggest barrier to obtaining a degree is not ability or ambition, but access,” Heavey said. He added that the scholarship will help children of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor employees stay enrolled, engage in their studies and complete their degrees.
More than 90 percent of UNLV students receive financial aid, but many still face funding gaps that can slow or halt degree progress. The new scholarship aims to fill these gaps so students can focus on learning and career preparation.
Recipients will be eligible for support through graduation, with funding available for up to 140 hours of undergraduate training.
UNLV Foundation Interim Executive Vice President Tiffany Vickers said Wynn’s support has been consistent over many years.
“This program expands access to a UNLV education for the families of Wynn employees and reflects a shared commitment to students and the community,” Vickers said.
Spa remodeling
The Bellagio will begin remodeling the resort’s 55,000-square-foot spa haven next month.
MGM Resorts International said last week that the redesigned wellness center would make its debut in November. The facility is expected to remain open during the redevelopment with some services to be relocated.
Designed by Woogmaster Studio, the design firm behind the recently remodeled Bellagio Salon and several other enhancements throughout the resort, the remodeled spa “draws on classic architectural influences, reinterpreted through a fresh, modern lens,” according to a release announcing the remodel.
Select spa treatments will be available on the fourth floor of the Spa Tower and through in-room services, and the fitness center will be temporarily relocated to the boardwalk across from Tutto.
Virginia iGaming
Virginia lawmakers have ensured a delay in the start of Internet gaming in the state by passing a requirement that all legislation be passed in two consecutive sessions.
The amended online casino law assures that approval will not happen until 2027 at the earliest.
Internet gambling is currently legal in New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Mississippi Sports Betting
Mississippi lawmakers will consider legislation that would legalize mobile sports betting in the state.
The state currently allows the placement of sports bets at state casino stores, but attempts to legalize mobile apps for sports betting have failed twice.
Mobile sports betting advocates say the state is losing tax revenue to Tennessee and Louisiana where many residents go to bet on apps instead of Mississippi’s casinos.
Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@ theplayerlounge.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X. –
