May 10--Las Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn upped his ante on his proposed Everett gaming palace today, saying he's planning to spend up to $1.5 billion on a gleaming, 300-foot waterfront resort.

"I want to get going," Wynn told the Herald today after he unveiled more details of the proposed casino. "The Boston casino, if its well done, will be a very viable business."

The plans unveiled today call for a 550 room, 19-story, glass-encased hotel that will be "Wynn bronze" in color and will overlook the Mystic River. Wynn, who is battling Suffolk Downs and Foxwoods in Milford for the sole Boston casino license, said the resort will take 30 months to build once the license is issued. Under that time frame, the casino could be open in summer 2016.

The project will also include a boardwalk along the river, a shopping arcade, a glass atrium and indoor garden, and an outdoor "winter garden" and hatch shell stage for concerts.

Making his case for the state license, which is slated to be issued in February 2014, Wynn said his company has $2 billion in cash and is the top hotel design firm in the world.

"If experience matters, then we should be the one for the job," he said. "We can handle this job."

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