Gambling tycoon Sheldon Adelson said he has given up hope of building a casino in Israel.
Adelson, who is said to be the world’s richest Jew, was interviewed by Israel’s Channel 10 television Tuesday while inaugurating a $2.4 billion casino complex in Macau.
Asked about his efforts to persuade Israel to legalize gambling and build a casino, he said: “I’ve tried for 18 years and I’ve given up.”
According to Adelson, who with his Israeli-born wife Miriam sponsors a slew of charities in the Jewish state, Israeli authorities have treated his casino proposals as schemes aimed “just” at making money.
Gambling proponents in Israel have noted the country’s robust underworld casino scene and suggested that were it legalized, gaming could be a lucrative tax source for the state and offset unemployment.
