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Casino developer Sheldon Adelson, pictured, who has always turned a blind eye to the Atlantic City market in New Jersey, said on Wednesday that he was interested in bidding for the Meadowlands site just south of New York City if New Jersey decided to attract a bidder.
"Can we offer a return on capital for at least five or six years? Yes, and it's a great opportunity. So we're going to be interested in that," said Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp. 동행복권파워볼
He attended the keynote speech on the second day of the Global Game Expo (G2E) 2014 in Las Vegas, Venice, his property.
However, these projects remain speculative. New Jersey, which has now seen its gaming revenue decline and the closure of casinos in Atlantic City as a result of the opening of new casino locations in neighboring states, is only in the process of considering allowing up to four casino game licenses north of the Garden State. This is what the New Jersey's Star-Leisure newspaper reported on Aug. 19.
The newspaper added that the Meadowlands Sports Complex was the preferred venue for local businesses and could house casinos, lacino (racetrack where slot machine games are added) and convention centers.
Adelson said: "...this would be a very attractive place to [build]. But it all depends on what the New Jersey government wants."
Meadowlands is 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Manhattan, while Atlantic City is 131 miles from downtown New York. However, Adelson said simple distance is not a reliable predictor of travel time.
He also pointed out that the project could be vulnerable to a New York response with more of its own gaming licenses. New York State is already considering issuing up to four new licenses in the northern part of the north of the metropolitan area.
This week, an investment bank in Malaysia suggested that Genting Malaysia is at least a leader in licensing upstate New York.
If New Jersey offers a Meadowlands license and Mr. Adelson's company wins it, New Jersey could face a third-fierce rivalry with Steve Wynn, chairman of rival Wynn Resorts Ltd. in the Las Vegas and Macau markets.
Mr. Wynn already plans to build a new casino resort outside of Mr. Adelson's hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
On Wednesday, Adelson said he did not bid for the Massachusetts license because he felt he "wouldn't be able to scale back" depending on the size of the land on offer, which relies on a combination of hotels and convention facilities. He added that Mr. Wynn had sold the "mystique" of casino properties better.
Adelson, who has exchanged spicy remarks with a rival in the past, often mentioned "My friend Steve" in his keynote speech. Winn, who delivered his keynote speech the day before, even had the courtesy of Adelson being present and listening on Wednesday.