Las Vegas Sands Billionaire Dr. Miriam Adelson to Spend ‘Whatever It Takes’ for Trump Victory

Dr. Miriam Adelson, the largest shareholder of Las Vegas Sands with a 46% stake in the Macau casino empire, has pledged to spend “whatever it takes” to reelect her friend Donald Trump.

Miriam Adelson Donald Trump campaign
Dr. Miriam Adelson and former President Donald Trump embrace during a campaign rally at his Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Adelson, the Las Vegas Sands owner, is ready to spend over $100 million to fund Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. (Image: AP)

Adelson and her late husband, Sands founder Sheldon Adelson, have been Trump’s biggest supporters since the former casino tycoon announced his 2016 presidential run. The Adelson family poured more than $200 million into Trump’s 2016 run and unsuccessful 2020 reelection bid.

Adelson pledged this week to open up her deep pockets, estimated by Forbes to be north of $28 billion, to bankroll Trump for a third consecutive presidential election cycle. At a campaign event at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Adelson reportedly hinted that she has a blank check policy for the former president and will give his campaign whatever it needs to get him back in the White House.

Political odds currently have Trump as a slight underdog. Vice President Kamala Harris’ odds on political wagering exchange Polymarket give her an implied chance of 51% to Trump at 47%.

Overseas bookmakers have Harris at -125, or implied odds of 55.6%. Trump is even money (+100 — 50%).

Las Vegas Sands no longer has domestic casino holdings after selling The Venetian and Palazzo resorts on the Las Vegas Strip in early 2022 for $6.25 billion. The company has several casino resorts in China’s Macau and is lobbying heavily in Texas for the Lone Star State to welcome casino resorts.

Adelson and her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, Sands’ president and chief operating officer, acquired a controlling stake in the NBA Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban last year. Adelson’s fortune tumbled over the last 12 months, as Sands’ stock price crashed almost 25%.

Adelson Super PAC

Adelson will once again primarily fund Trump through her super political action committee (PAC) Preserve America. She gave the PAC $5 million in May to get its Trump campaign up and running, but the committee’s treasure chest will see considerably more money from the Sands owner in the coming weeks.

According to Andy Abboud, the Adelsons’ longtime political aide, family advisor, and spokesperson, Preserve America will spend upwards of $100 million to make sure Harris doesn’t become the 47th president.

We’re going to do whatever it takes for him to win,” Abboud confirmed in an interview with CNBC on Friday. “In her mind, and in the minds of those who run [Preserve America], we are going to do whatever it takes for him to win.”

In addition to her Preserve American, Adelson in May wrote a check for $844,600 to the Trump 47 Committee. She’s also given 38 committees and PACs $10,000 each that are working to put GOP governors and congresspeople into office this November. 

Israel in Focus

Adelson says Jewish voters should vote for Trump, a strong ally of the Israeli state who relocated the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem while president. The embassy’s relocation was of utmost importance to the Adelsons, who attended the embassy’s opening on May 14, 2018, sitting in the front row.

President Trump deserves the full support of the entire Jewish people,” Adelson, who received the Medal of Freedom from Trump in 2018 for her philanthropic work in medical research, Holocaust memorialization, and strengthening the American Jewish community. “Anyone who cares about Israel’s security and prosperity, this must be our pledge to him — this must be our promise to him — that the White House will be his again come January.”

Harris reportedly strongly considered Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) to be her running mate but was rumored to have been concerned that his Jewish heritage could turn off the Democrats’ Palestinian support.

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Wynn Sees UAE Spend of $900M, Confirms Interest in Thailand Casino

Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) expects to contribute approximately $900 million to the Wynn Al Marjan Island integrated resort in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Wynn Resorts
Wynn and Encore on the Las Vegas Strip. The operator said it will spend $900 million in the United Arab Emirates and that it’s interested in a Thailand casino. (Image: Luxury Lifestyle Magazine)

That’s according to comments made by Craig Billings on the gaming company’s first-quarter earnings conference call late Tuesday, and that estimate is in line with the operator’s minority stake in the $4 billion project.

Budgets move here and there, but no substantial movement. Our capital contribution will be round numbers, call it, $900 million, that heavily depends on the construction leverage,” said Billings in response to a question from CBRE analyst John DeCree. “So we’re in the midst of figuring that out now. But you can figure something like 50-50 debt to equity and then we would be 40% of the equity.”

Wynn’s local partners in the UAE are Marjan LLC and RAK Hospitality Holding LLC., while Wynn Design and Development is running creative and design operations.

Wynn Making Fast Progress on UAE Casino Resort

Billings’ comments regarding Wynn’s financial commitments to the UAE  project arrived after the Las Vegas-based company said construction there is advancing rapidly and that the hotel tower could be topped off in late 2025.

Wynn Al Marjan Island could be the first casino hotel in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region and, if it’s approved to operate a gaming venue, it could be a significant long-term earnings driver for Wynn while potentially touching off a spate of casino development in the Emirates. The property is expected to command 5.6 million square feet, but the casino would account for just 4% of that space.

Billings called Wynn Al Marjan Island “a meaningful high return on investment (ROI) project” while adding that more updates could be made public later this year. Last year, Wynn said the UAE endeavor can generate up to $600 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) — a forecast that’s not been altered.

Additionally, gaming won’t be the centerpiece of the integrated resort. Dubai, which is located just an hour away from Al Marjan Island, is one of the most visited parts of the Middle East, and the tourists that flock to the emirate embrace high-end dining options, luxury retail, and other glitzy amenities, all of which are synonymous with Wynn’s Las Vegas properties.

Wynn Interested in Thailand, Too

Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving regulatory process in Thailand, Billings confirmed Wynn is monitoring that situation and could eventually make a play to open a casino resort in the Southeast Asian country.

In Thailand, it’s early days and we have yet to see the regulatory and licensing structures,” said the Wynn chief executive officer on the earnings call. “Thailand is already a major tourism destination with significant tourism infrastructure and a world-class service culture. So we will continue to closely monitor advancement of the legalization process. I remain incredibly bullish about the future of our company.”

Billings added that Thailand is a compelling market with sound infrastructure and a robust tourism industry while acknowledging a variety of gaming companies could pursue casino licenses there.

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