Bodog Beat

Billionaire Vegas tycoon Steve Wynn has pissed off the wrong group of people, his employees. (AP Images)

Now, days after Steve Wynn told his casino's dealers that he made "a big mistake" by allowing casino supervisors to share in their tips, the dealers of the Wynn Las Vegas resort have voted to join a union.

The vote comes after months of debate since Wynn's tip-sharing mandate was implemented which dealers claim has resulted in a 15 to 20 percent cut into their tip income.

In a statement to the International Herald Tribune, Dennis Laux, a baccarat dealer who helped organize the drive said "It's huge. You can't even imagine how happy we all are about this. We've taken one of the largest casinos in Nevada and done something that Steve Wynn said we would never accomplish."

Laux went on to say that the vote to unionize came after Wynn made a personal plea to the dealers on Thursday.

"I made a big mistake," Wynn told them, according to an audio recording of one of the meetings posted on the blog of political commentator Jon Ralston.

"I did not realize the extent of the mistake I had made until yesterday," Wynn said, explaining his talk with a longtime employee who felt betrayed. "I was more focused on the right thing I did for the bosses, than the wrong thing I did to the dealers."

The casino had said the tip-pooling arrangement would better compensate supervisors and give employees the incentive to be promoted. It said dealers had averaged more than $100,000 (a year in total pay, while supervisors got about $60,000). The tip restructuring had dealers averaging $90,000, while supervisors got about $96,000, a level dealers could reach through performance bonuses.

Wynn said he implemented the tip pool policy as he struggled to keep qualified people in supervisory posts, but he told dealers he was wrong and urged them to vote against the union.

"I want the chance to do what I can … to put the smile back on your face," he said. "I'm your guy. I've got to be your guy in order for us to really get great and I want to stay that way."