MACAO, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson has opened the $2.4 billion Venetian Macao Resort, purported to be the world's largest casino.
Calling it "a dream of mine for some time," the chairman and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp., parent of resort operator Venetian Macao Ltd., said the Venetian was the first step in Macao's transformation into a world-class vacation and business-convention destination.
Visitors will be able to shop, watch sporting events and shows -- and gamble, he said.
The Venetian's 10.5 million square feet -- more floor space than four Empire State Buildings -- are inside Asia's largest building and the world's second largest, Las Vegas Sands said.
Its 15,000-seat sports arena rivals Madison Square Garden, the convention center has a 6,000-seat banquet hall and the luxury shopping mall has three indoor canals with singing gondoliers, the company said.
The Venetian in Las Vegas has just one.
And the 3,000-suite project is just the first of 14 interconnected hotels Las Vegas Sands is building in the special administrative region of China, The New York Times reported.
When completed, the $10 billion to $12 billion complex will include a St. Regis, a Shangri-la, a Raffles, a Conrad, an Intercontinental and a Sheraton, with their own casinos, bars and restaurants, the newspaper said.
