Casino mogul and political donor Sheldon Adelson dead at 87

 

Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, whose gambling and hotel businesses turned him into a major political power broker in the US and Israel, has died.

He was 87.

The founder of the Las Vegas Sands casino company, Mr Adelson was known for his support of conservative causes and Israel.

 

 

He was a significant backer of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

His death was caused by complications related to his treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the Las Vegas Sands company said in a statement.

In a statement, former US president George W Bush said he mourned the passing of a "friend".

"He was an American patriot, a generous benefactor of charitable causes, and a strong supporter of Israel," Mr Bush said. "He will be missed by many - none more than his beloved family.

 

 sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Mr Adelson and his Israeli-born second wife Miriam "contributed endlessly to strengthening the Jewish people and the Jewish state".

"He was a wonderful friend to us personally and an incredible champion of the Jewish people, the Jewish state and the alliance between Israel and America," he said.

 

 

Sheldon Adelson life

Born in 1933, Mr Adelson was raised in Boston, the son of Jewish immigrants, whose father worked as a cab driver.

He started working at a young age, selling newspapers on street corners as a teenager.

A college dropout, who founded dozens of businesses, he launched the career for which he became known as the organiser of a successful computer business conference in the 1970s.

Looking for more space to host visitors for the event, he later entered the hospitality business, buying the Sands hotel.

 

 

He was credited with fusing together the convention, hotel and gaming industries, as he built lavish complexes in Las Vegas, Singapore and Macau that at his death made him ranked among the 30 richest men in the world, with a net worth of more than $30bn.

Power broker

Mr Adelson put that wealth to work for causes he supported, including medical research, Jewish youth groups, universities and others.

Mr Adelson had his hand in media, as the founder of the free Israel Hayom paper in Tel Aviv and the owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which he purchased in 2015.

 

 

Mr Adelson's influence was credited, in part, for pushing Mr Trump to establish the American embassy in Jerusalem and for leading him to withdraw from a nuclear weapons treaty with Iran negotiated by Mr Obama.

Mr Trump said Mr Adelson had "tirelessly advocated for the relocation of the United States embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and its neighbours".

"Sheldon lived the true American dream," he said. "His ingenuity, genius, and creativity earned him immense wealth, but his character and philanthropic generosity his great name."

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55631570