Wynn Resorts cleared another hurdle today Monday in its bid for the sole eastern Massachusetts casino license.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission staff is recommending that Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn be allowed to proceed with his application to build a casino in Everett. But there's one condition — that Wynn explain his business practices in Macau.

Macau is evolving from the seedy cousin of Hong Kong to the glittering Las Vegas of the East. Its gambling revenue is six times that of the Vegas strip.

Wynn defended his company in a colorful testimony.

“Do we allow illegal activity in our casinos?" he said. "The answer is no. No."

Gaming commissioners won’t take a final vote on Wynn’s background check until next week. If they give him the green light, the decision could fuel skepticism about the commission’s objectivity. Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Steve Crosby's former business partner co-owns the Wynn casino site. Crosby says the public should not doubt him.

“The process is so incredibly transparent, there are five commissioners sitting there, there’s a report that costs a million and a half dollars that is now public that details all the background information," he said.

The Wynn casino would compete with one from Suffolk Downs if Revere voters approve that project in February.