It was on his honeymoon in Venice with his wife, Dr Miriam Adelson, that Sheldon Gary Adelson derived inspiration for one of his most successful ventures, the mega Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. He was tagged by Forbes magazine in 2006 as the 14th richest person in the world and the third richest man in the US, with a net worth estimated at US$20.5 billion. The self-made billionaire, who started selling newspapers at a young age and had his first business at 12, is also the brains behind some 50 other endeavours, including the trend-setting Sands casino-hotel-exhibition complex that has helped transform Las Vegas’ image.
With Macau the target of his current efforts – Sands Macau and the ambitious Cotai Strip with its planned 25 hotels and 60,000 rooms – Adelson is a frequent visitor to Asia these days. Rosana Cheng caught up with the extremely peripatetic mogul.
We’ve heard you’re an avid aviator.
Between the company and myself, I have 11 planes. Yes, I am fascinated by aircraft.
Do you fly?
I tried to learn many years ago. The instructor asked me to grab the wheel and all of a sudden, the plane went straight up to the sky. It was one of those bad experiences, and I said: “That’s it! That’s it! I don’t want to do this anymore!”
You practically live on planes. How do you make yourself comfortable?
I read. I eat. I sleep and I watch movies. I’m a very good flyer.
What is your favourite cuisine?
I love Chinese food. Chinese food is one of the best options in the world.
And which would you say is your favourite Chinese restaurant?
I’ve tried Chinese food all throughout China, but I have to say that my favourite is still the Golden Court (located in Sheldon’s Sands Macau).
People regard you as an extremely successful and wise man. Do your family members share this view?
My first daughter, who’s now in her 30s, used to say to me: “Daddy, you are old. You don’t understand the modern ways of doing things.” But after several years, she said: “You know what, Daddy? The older I get, the smarter you get.” I told her: “No, I am still the same wise guy. Just that you get older, you learn.”
It’s nice to see you and your wife enjoying a close relationship.
She calls herself “my tail” because where I go, she goes, and I call her an “angel” because she volunteers to help drug addicts in her hometown, in Las Vegas, in Macau and Hongkong. Her friends say she is “addicted to addicts”.
