Las Vegas Sand wants to build more Cotai Strips in Asia

Adelson wants the jurisdictions to cough up lucrative tax breaks, infrastructure construction and other concessions before the gaming company will spend us$ 15 billion to us$ 20 billion to replicate what it is building in Macau.

In a luncheon address Wednesday at the JPMorgan Chase & Co. investment conference that was held at the Las Vegas Sands-owned Venetian, Adelson said his company has conducted economic impact studies on emerging markets in Asia that are considering legalizing casinos.

The billionaire casino developer, now the world's 12th richest person according to Forbes magazine, told the audience if a jurisdiction wants just a casino, Las Vegas Sands would spend “a couple hundred million to build a big box.”

He said the company was willing to spend billions on an integrated resort, which would include a casino, hotel rooms, retail areas, convention space, restaurants and other amenities, similar to the company's planned us$ 4 billion Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

A string of integrated resorts, however, such as Macau's Cotai Strip, will cost extra. Las Vegas Sands is spending us$ 12 billion on the Cotai Strip to build 14 casinos with 20,000 hotel rooms, convention space and dozens of restaurants.