The chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission stepped down Wednesday after being accused of pre-judging the outcome of an investigation into Wynn Resorts.
Chairman Stephen Crosby announced his resignation in a public message to fellow commissioners and staff. Crosby said he had received a letter from Steve Wynn's lawyer last week claiming he had already made up his mind about the sexual assault allegations against the casino mogul.
"Simultaneously, Suffolk Downs filed a $3 billion lawsuit against Wynn Resorts, in which pages of accusations regurgitated false claims of bias made against me in the past," Crosby added.
The chairman said he would leave the commission to do its work "without distraction."
"I simply cannot let my involvement in these critical deliberations be used by others to hamper the Commission's ability to do its work, or to undermine the confidence of the public in that work," he wrote.
Crosby said he hopes his resignation will allow the commission to investigate objectively.
