Billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn denies allegation he forced woman to have sex

Mr Wynn is also the finance chair of the Republican National Committee

Steve Wynn has denied the sexual assault allegations. (Getty)

Billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn forced a manicurist to have sex and then paid her a $7.5m (£5.2m) settlement, a report has alleged.

Mr Wynn, who turns 76 on Saturday, is said to have pressured the married woman to take her clothes off and lie on the massage table he kept in his office, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

After being told of the allegations, the woman’s supervisor said she filed a detailed report to the casino’s human-resources department recounting the incident, the newspaper said.

Mr Wynn is a former casino-business rival of President Donald Trump, who has referred to Mr Wynn as a “great friend” and that he values his advice. After Mr Trump’s election, Mr Wynn became the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.

The Journal also spoke to dozens of people who have worked at Mr Wynn’s casinos. They reportedly described behaviour that indicated a decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr Wynn.

Mr Wynn has denied all sexual assault allegations and said the accusations are the work of his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn, with whom he is currently engaged in a nasty legal battle.

Mr Wynn said in a written statement to the Journal that “the idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous”.

He said in a statement: “The instigation of these accusations is the continued work of my ex-wife Elaine Wynn, with whom I am involved in a terrible and nasty lawsuit in which she is seeking a revised divorce settlement.”

A lawyer for Ms Wynn did not immediately respond to The Independent‘s request for comment.

The Journal said Mr Wynn did not provide any further response to other allegations of sexual misconduct that the newspaper asked about.

Early on in his career, Mr Wynn oversaw the construction and operation of hotels and casinos that have become famous fixtures on the Las Vegas strip, including the Wynn, the Mirage and Treasure Island. He is currently behind a $2.4bn (£1.7bn) casino in the Boston area, according to the Journal.