{"id":90095,"date":"2018-10-10T17:30:30","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T00:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=90095"},"modified":"2023-03-29T04:58:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T09:58:37","slug":"trump-lobbied-for-sands-casino-to-japanese-prime-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/trump-lobbied-for-sands-casino-to-japanese-prime-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Report Claims Trump Lobbied For Sands Casino License on Behalf of Sheldon Adelson in Meeting With Japanese Prime Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump asked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to consider Las Vegas Sands for a casino license on behalf of Sands founder and CEO Sheldon Adelson early last year, according to investigative news site\u00a0ProPublica.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
President Donald Trump suggested to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he consider a casino license for Las Vegas Sands during a February 2017 meeting at Mar-a-Lago, according to a ProPublica report. Sands is owned by Sheldon Adelson, the top donor to Trump’s party. (Image: Mandel Ngan\/Getty\/Win Mcnamee\/Getty\/Casino.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Trump\u2019s request came during a February 2017 meeting with Abe at Mar-a-Lago and followed a meeting Adelson and other casino executives had with the Japanese prime minister just days before, the report claims.<\/p>\n

In July, Japan passed legislation to allow three casino licenses in the country. After the passage, Adelson told Sands investors that the company was in the \u201cleading position\u201d<\/a> to acquire one of the three licenses, citing his business background in the country dating back to the 1990s.<\/p>\n

But according to ProPublica<\/em>, the Sands effort to expand its Asian footprint also has the backing of the United States president, who reportedly also mentioned another unverified Las Vegas-based casino operator to Abe during the 2017 meeting.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Abe and Japanese officials \u201cwere a little incredulous that [Trump] would be so brazen\u201d about the suggestion, the report says. Abe acknowledged to Japanese legislators that the casino topic did arise during his visit to Mar-a-Lago, but said Trump did not make any specific requests on behalf of any casino companies.<\/p>\n

Money Talks, Loudly<\/h2>\n

Adelson is one of Trump and the Republican Party\u2019s most prolific donors. During the 2016 cycle, Adelson and wife Miriam spent $82.5 million<\/a> on GOP candidates and have spent nearly $60 million so far this cycle.<\/p>\n

The Sands CEO\u2019s contributions haven\u2019t gone unnoticed. In the past he\u2019s called himself a \u201cone-issue person,\u201d referring to his pro-Israel stance. Trump relocated the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May — just days after Adelson donated $30 million to House Republicans. Also to Adelson\u2019s delight this year, Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear agreement.<\/p>\n

Adelson\u2019s influence has also yielded him White House access. He and other casino executives were able to speak with Abe directly during a breakfast that came the morning after a White House dinner they were present at together, according to ProPublica.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Sands already has a prominent presence in Macau, and as the company seeks to expand globally, landing a Japanese casino license is atop the company\u2019s wish list. In June, the company announced they were increasing the number of shares they plan to buyback from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion to help make a run at Japan<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe are able to maintain the flexibility needed to \u2026 pursue and ultimately develop new multibillion Integrated Resorts in key markets around the world,\u201d Adelson said of the move.<\/p>\n

Prepping the Industry<\/h2>\n

In April, legislation was passed specifying the allowance of three casino licenses in the country. It’s yet to be determined where in the country those casinos will operate.<\/p>\n

Last month, city officials in Tokyo said they would commission an impact study about hosting a casino<\/a> in the country\u2019s capital, which is the center of the most populated metropolitan area in the world.<\/p>\n

Experts have predicted Japan\u2019s gaming industry could be worth up to $15 billion per year by 2025 and Tokyo could be responsible for nearly half of revenue and tourism figures, if it chooses to allow a casino in the city.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s integrated resorts committee said this week that a formal plan for evaluating potential host cities<\/a> is expected to be in place by next July, and that winning cities will be announced in 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump asked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to consider Las Vegas Sands for a casino license on behalf of Sands founder and CEO Sheldon Adelson early last year, according to investigative news site\u00a0ProPublica. Trump\u2019s request came during a February 2017 meeting with Abe at Mar-a-Lago and followed a meeting Adelson and other casino […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":90128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,18,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrump Lobbied For Sands Casino To Japanese Prime Minister<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a February 2017 meeting at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump lobbied Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to consider a casino license for Las Vegas Sands, according to a ProPublica report.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/trump-lobbied-for-sands-casino-to-japanese-prime-minister\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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