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Sands head Sheldon Adelson wants to build a Las Vegas in India and why not? With over one billion people, India is the second most populated country in the world outside of China. But do Indians like to gamble?
Gambling in India is limited. One casino exists in Goa, the Casino Goa. Other than lotteries, legal gambling in India is limited to betting on horse racing.
Adelson, in Macau to launch the Four Seasons hotel and celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of the giant Venetian casino-resort, said on Thursday he had met the Indian trade and tourism ministers before heading here.
"You could have the equivalent of Las Vegas. If your government wants to invite us there, we would be happy to commit 12-14 billion US dollars," he told one Indian reporter.
"We would like to build a Cotai Strip in India that would not affect Macau whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the market in India with 1.1 billion people would justify more than one Cotai Strip" he told reporters.
The Cotai Strip is an area of reclaimed land in the former Portuguese colony that aims to recreate the Las Vegas Strip.
Casinos have been considered in New Delhi over recent years. The matter for setting up casino in state would be put up to the state assembly for approval, for which the
state government would have to enact a legislation.
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Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
