Obama Picks Billionaire Casino Mogul's Ex-Wife for Kennedy Center Board

July 22, 2010 — -- President Obama has named Elaine Wynn, the on-again, off-again wife of the Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Elaine will follow her billionaire husband onto the board – President George W. Bush appointed him to one of the coveted trustee slots in 2006. He stepped down earlier this year without completing his full six-year term.

While Steve Wynn made his fortune founding a succession of Las Vegas casinos and hotels, Elaine took on increasingly significant roles in the Wynn empire. She currently serves on the corporate board of directors, even though the couple recently went through their second divorce – a relatively peaceful but public spectacle that ended with a massive settlement involving his transfer to her of $741 million worth of his stock in Wynn Resorts Ltd.

Much like her ex-husband, the unofficial "queen of Las Vegas" is also a prolific political donor. The Kennedy Center board is a plum presidential appointment that, much like ambassadorships, is frequently offered to top contributors. This particular appointment comes as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat and important ally of the president's, faces a tough reelection fight in Nevada.

"Senator Reid is very supportive of the President's decision to name Elaine to the Kennedy Center Board," said a Reid spokesman. "Elaine is a generous patron of the arts in Nevada and she will be a wonderful addition to the Board."