Wednesday, 15 April 2009
by Sara Farr
Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp, is in Macau this week for business meetings and is also set to attend tomorrow's gaming concessionaires meeting.
Macaubusiness.com reported that yesterday the billionaire had a “secret lunch in a private ballroom at the Ventian” with Macau gaming mogul Stanley Ho.
Even though the two have been known to criticise each other's company in the past, Stephen Weaver, president of Asia Region of the Las Vegas Sands Corp, told the Macau Daily Times yesterday that it was “just a friendly social lunch.”
“Just two guys in the same industry getting together for a friendly lunch... I think the company has made it very clear that we're very happy to cooperate with our industry peers,” Weaver said.
Adelson, who is in Macau for business meetings, did not come to Macau on purpose to attend tomorrow's meeting with the other five gaming concessionaires.
“He just happened to be here when the [gaming concessionaire] meeting was on, he didn't come here for that purpose,” Weaver added.
According to recent reports, both Adelson and Ho want the government to lower gaming taxes and lower junket operators commissions.
In addition, Ho has showed some interest in buying part of the Las Vegas Sands Corp business in the Cotai, after the company was forced to suspend construction of parcels 5 and 6 of its development project leaving 11,000 workers unemployed, mainly 2,000 locals.
Adelson was strongly criticised for “abandoning” Macau to carry on with his Marina Bay project in Singapore.
http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/...view&id=25786&Itemid=28