According to Forbes, near default three years ago, Sheldon Adelson has made more money than anyone in America since, dominating Chinese gambling—and U.S. politics. A full-access tour of his $25 billion comeback.
The inner sanctum of one of the most influential men on the planet is situated in the bowels of the massive Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, past the replica Renaissance façade and whirling lines of slot machines, through two sets of unmarked doors, a windowless waiting room, rows of cluttered desks and a coughing miniature poodle. The chummy photos on the walls of the bunker itself, which overlooks a private courtyard, represent a who’s who of conservative royalty, including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Rudy Giuliani and Benjamin Netanyahu.
But when Sheldon Adelson hobbles into the room, past his walker and motorized scooter, his physical frailty, stemming from a nerve condition, belies his muscular perch. No matter: His handshake and voice remain firm, his mind sharp, and the entire country now wants to know what he’s planning. Adelson’s recent campaign-saving donations to Newt Gingrich have made him a figure of political intrigue. “Those people are either jealous or professional critics,” Adelson tells me during his first interview since bankrolling the former speaker’s super PAC, Winning Our Future, to the tune of eight figures.
Since January he’s turned down hundreds of interview requests, and has been dissected on TV and the Internet thousands of times more. But the media frenzy misses the larger story of Sheldon Adelson…
Read all about it at http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2012/02/22/comeback-billionaire-how-sheldon-adelson-dominates-chinese-gambling-and-u-s-politics/
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