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LAS VEGAS-Casino-resort developer Steve Wynn is all about big ideas and happy people. Keynoting a luncheon Monday afternoon at the International Council of Shopping Centers annual trade exposition, the Buddhist billionaire touched on his religion and anthropology in explaining the creative process that led to his namesake resort, Wynn Las Vegas.

Before anything, Wynn says he started with a big idea. "If you start with the stuff, you'll be in trouble," he says. "You need to start with a big idea, a great idea, so if you are 70% successful you still have something."

Wynn has had many big ideas. He is known as a trendsetter who reinvented Las Vegas Boulevard by developing Mirage and Treasure Island, the first of the mega-resorts to generate the bulk of their revenue from non-casino operations. His work jump-started a boom in casino-resort development that has kept Las Vegas in hyper-growth mode for more than 15 years.

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