Sheldon G. Adelson to Receive 2011 G2E Asia Visionary Award

Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp., will be presented with the G2E Asia Visionary Award during Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) 2011.

The G2E Asia Visionary Award recognizes Adelson’s contributions to the gaming industry and key role in setting the stage for the next phase of gaming in Macau with the Sands Macau, the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the ongoing development of the Cotai Strip.

Under his leadership, last year the company opened the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort in Singapore, now one of the most profitable casinos in the world. The award will be presented to Adelson on 8 June at G2E Asia 2011, which will be held at the Venetian Macau.

“During his six-decade career, Sheldon Adelson has made invaluable contributions to the gaming industry,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “His forward-thinking commitment to innovative business practices and revolutionary drive have drastically changed the way we look at the overall gaming experience in both the U.S. and Asia. We’re quite pleased to present him with the 2011 G2E Asia Visionary Award.”

In 1989, Adelson purchased the Sands Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and subsequently constructed the Sands Expo and Convention Center. In 1999, Mr. Adelson opened the doors to the $1.5-billion 4,027 suite Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, further improving and altering the perception of Las Vegas by presenting visitors with a collection of experiences and amenities.

Adelson expanded the company’s hotel and casino franchise in 2004 by opening the Sands Macau. As one of the first U.S.-operated casinos in the region, the Sands Macau laid the groundwork for the next phase of development in the SAR. Three years later, Adelson opened The Venetian Macau, which began the transformation of the Cotai Strip into an international leisure and business destination. Adelson’s finalized vision of the Cotai Strip will combine more than 20,000 guest rooms, retail and meeting and convention space with live entertainment seating for 30,000. In total, the project will occupy more than 53 million square feet and will employ more than 180,000 people.

Adelson’s opening of the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore helped launch the country into the spotlight as one of the world’s top gaming destinations, soon to surpass Las Vegas as the world’s second-largest gaming center after Macau. In 2010, the nearly 12 million visitors to the region spent a record Sin$18.8 billion (US$14.8 billion), an increase of almost 50% from the previous year.

 This is the fourth year the G2E Asia Visionary Award has been given. Past awardees include Len Ainsworth, chairman of Ainsworth Game Technology; Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, founder of Genting Group; and Stanley Ho, managing director of both the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau.

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