Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon
Adelson watches a lion dance at the opening ceremony of the Sands Cotai
Central in April 2012. One turning point for Macau was the government's 2002 decision to allow foreigners to build casinos in the city. It granted six casino licenses to foreign operators -- including Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn -- and Adelson was one of the first foreigners to open a casino here.
The $5 billion Sands Cotai Central, built on marshland originally earmarked for a fireworks factory, is Las Vegas Sands Corporation's fourth casino in the booming Asian gaming capital. Last September, Adelson unveiled plans to build a scaled down replica of the Eiffel Tower as part of a new $3 billion resort.
Aaron tam/AFP/Getty Images
