Sands Starts on $8B Resort in Singapore

Las Vegas Sands has started work on an $8 billion expansion of its flagship Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore, the latest in a string of big-ticket moves by the Adelson family as it builds out its luxury-hospitality empire spanning from Macao to Dallas.

The expansion will add a fourth hotel tower to the iconic resort, complete with 570 suites, luxury retail, gaming areas and a 15,000-seat entertainment arena, the New York Post reported. The new development, designed by Marina Bay Sands architect Moshe Safdie, will also feature a rooftop “Skyloop” of pools, gardens and dining, echoing the property’s famed SkyPark.

At a groundbreaking ceremony last week, Las Vegas Sands co-founder Miriam Adelson joined Singapore officials and Sands CEO Patrick Dumont, her son-in-law, to celebrate the start of the project.

“By the time our new ultra-luxury development is complete, we will have invested more than $15 billion since we started operations in Singapore in 2010,” Dumont said.

The project’s scope and figures reflect the Adelson family’s growing international reach.

After the death of Sands founder Sheldon Adelson in 2021, Miriam Adelson became the company’s largest shareholder. She and Dumont have since expanded Sands’ presence across Asia and the U.S. while building political influence as top Republican donors and major backers of Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns.

They’ve also turned their attention to Texas.

The duo recently gained control of the Dallas Mavericks and are behind a proposed $4 billion resort development in Irving, just outside Dallas, near the former Texas Stadium site. That project initially included plans for a casino and entertainment district but was scaled back after public pushback and a lack of state-level support for gambling legalization. The city council approved a zoning change this spring that allows the project to move forward without casino elements, though the door remains open if the law changes.

The Irving plan includes an arena to serve the Mavericks, along with hotels, retail and event space. The site mirrors the Marina Bay strategy: large-scale, multipurpose and anchored by high-end hospitality.

If Texas ever approves casinos, the Adelsons will be ready. Until then, they’re still betting big.

— Judah Duke