Gambling Giants Criticized for Huge CEO-Worker Pay Gaps

When it comes to the glitz and glamour of the gambling world, Caesar’s Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, and Las Vegas Sands are titans of the industry. However, these companies are under scrutiny after earning spots on the 2025 “Low-Wage 100” list, an annual report by the Institute for Policy Studies and Inequality.org that highlights S&P 500 companies with the most glaring disparities in executive and worker compensation. The numbers speak volumes: in 2024, Caesar’s CEO Tom Reeg made a staggering $18.4 million while the average U.S. worker at Caesar’s earned just $43,880, resulting in a jaw-dropping 419-to-1 pay gap. Similarly, Bill Hornbuckle of MGM raked in $15.8 million compared to the median employee salary of $47,607, a 332-to-1 difference. The chasm is even larger at Las Vegas Sands, where CEO Robert Goldstein’s $21.9 million dwarfs the $42,426 earned by the typical worker, leading to an astonishing 516-to-1 gap.

Critics of the casino industry have long decried these enormous pay discrepancies. The report reveals that executive compensation at Caesar’s has more than doubled since 2019, greatly outpacing the company’s 40% increase in worker pay over the same period. MGM and Las Vegas Sands also saw significant jumps in executive pay, albeit not as pronounced as Caesar’s. Experts argue that this widening gap is more than just unsightly; the report points out that billions of dollars are funneled into stock buybacks, which serve to inflate share prices and further enrich executives, while funds for worker wages and training remain insufficient. MGM, for instance, spent over $9.5 billion on buybacks last year—more than double what it invested in property improvements.