Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson died at his home in Malibu, California yesterday after a prolonged battle with non-Hodgkin’s cancer. Adelson, who was the Chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation was 87 at the time of his passing, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Adelson’s success in the casino business and his impact on the gambling industry as a whole was undeniable. His signature Las Vegas property, the Palazzo is one of the Strip’s signature properties and is known for its refined elegance. But having a signature Las Vegas casino wasn’t enough for the ambitious billionaire, who also helped lead the mega-casino charge in the Chinese territory of Macau.
Of course Adelson was no friend to the online gambling business. He worked tirelessly to insure that as few states as possible had regulated online poker. It’s believed he thought that online gambling would cut into his land-based casino businesses. It was an odd stance to take, but he was pushing his anti-internet agenda until the bitter end.
But Adelson was known as much for his success in the gambling business as he was for his activities in right wing politics. Throughout his life he gave tremendous sums of money to conservative GOP candidates in the United States and was a close friend of the American President. But Adelson, a devout supporter of Israel also dabbled in Israeli politics. He was extremely active in influencing US/Israeli relations and maintained a major media empire in the country to amplify his opinions.
Adelson is survived by his wife Dr. Miriam Adelson and is expected to be buried in Israel in the very near future.