Japanese pachinko billionaire Kazuo Okada asked a federal court in the United States to restore his rights as the largest shareholder of Wynn Resorts, and to halt an 'unlawful' bid by Wynn chief executive Steve Wynn to remove him from the board.
The two gaming moguls, once business partners and close friends, fell out dramatically in January and a legal battle for control of seats on the board of Las Vegas Wynn Resorts is turning bitter.
Okada's Universal Entertainment also filed an amended counterclaim against American gaming tycoon Wynn on Thursday, saying he had indulged in 'fraud, deception, theft and betrayal to maintain control of his gaming enterprises'.
Okada asked a federal judge in Nevada to immediately restore the rights of his subsidiary Aruze USA, through which he invested in Wynn Resorts as its largest shareholder.
'We believe the conflict between Okada and Wynn is going to drag on for a long time,' said Chelsey Tam, an analyst at Emperor Securities.
Okada filed a suit in a Nevada court in January, seeking access to Wynn Resorts' records over a HK$1 billion donation to the University of Macau Development Foundation.
In February, Wynn Resorts sued Okada and forcibly redeemed a 20 per cent stake owned by Okada and his associates at a 31 per cent discount, saying he was 'unsuitable'.