Adelson has not always objected to online gambling

Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson is now notorious for his vehement opposition to legalised online gambling in the United States, citing strong moral objections…but it appears that has not always been the case.

Even a casual Google search will throw up a failed venture seven years ago in which Adelson’s company appeared to hold a different view to the radical rhetoric of the multi-billionaire these days.

On December 4, 2006 for example, communications execs from Las Vegas Sands and Cantor Gaming signed off on a widely distributed press release that heralded an online gambling project in the United Kingdom under the Sands brand.

The release advised that a Las Vegas Sands affiliate and Cantor Gaming had reached an agreement to launch an online casino and poker site “…initially aimed at serving the United Kingdom market.”

The release reveals that:

“Cantor Gaming will provide a complete online casino and poker destination featuring Las Vegas Sands brands, including The Venetian, Sands, Palazzo, and Paiza brands. The site will offer the most popular casino games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, video poker, slots and online poker.

“The offering will be part of a full end-to-end gaming service, including customer age and location verification, online payment processing, and customer services. The site is expected to be launched during the second quarter of 2007. The site will be hosted, and the operator will be licensed, in compliance with the laws of Alderney, British Channel Islands. It will not accept U.S. customers.”

Bill Weidner, the then president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. said at the time:

“This is another opportunity for our company to create greater awareness of our global brands and further establish our presence and interest in the UK market. Additionally, as the internet gaming landscape continues to evolve this effort will put us in a strong position to evaluate and react to other potential opportunities.”

The project was not the first between the two organisations. In May that year, Las Vegas Sands announced The Venetian’s plans to become the first Nevada casino to provide mobile gaming based upon Cantor technology.

Lee Amaitis, president of Cantor Gaming said he was delighted have signed another agreement with Las Vegas Sands organization to provide customers with an online gaming experience.

http://investor.lasvegassands.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=348419