TOKYO/SINGAPORE Top executives from U.S. and Asian casino operators were in an optimistic mood as they gathered in Tokyo in late February. Speaking at a gathering of investors, each expressed an eagerness to go into business in the world's third-largest economy, to be opened for casino gambling under a law passed in December.
Sheldon Adelson, chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands, called Japan a "country of chance taking," citing its abundance of pachinko parlors, which feature pinball-like gaming machines. His company has invested in Macau and Singapore, and he put potential investment in a Japanese project at $10 billion. "Singapore was a warm-up to this," he said.
