Nevada regulators analyzing Macau casino activity

Reuters reported on Monday that an examination of Hong Kong court records, U.S. depositions of a former Sands executive and interviews with law enforcement and security officials in the United States and Macau show a connection between Las Vegas Sands Corp and a Macau-based businessman alleged to have ties to organized crime.

"At the conclusion of our analysis of the situation in its entirety, this agency will move appropriately as governed by Nevada law and standards required of our Nevada licenses," Randall Sayre, a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, said in an e-mailed statement.

Sayre said the situation at Sands, along with the general environment regarding VIP operations in Macau, was known to the agency and would be addressed "at the point the investigative product is ripe for consideration."

Sands operates three casinos in Macau as well as the Palazzo and Venetian resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. Other casino companies with operations in both Nevada and Macau include MGM Mirage and Wynn Resorts Ltd. Las Vegas Sands, which is about to open a new us$ 5.5 billion casino complex in Singapore, also operates a casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said in a statement that "the review of suitability by the Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement is ongoing for all license holders, and it will not confirm or deny whether this is a matter in which it is actively investigating."