Vegas Sands owner eyes Marlborough area over Boston

Las Vegas Sands Corp. CEO Sheldon Adelson, the third-richest man in America, confirmed Tuesday he is considering a casino in Marlborough or along the I-495 Corridor.

"That's where I would invest my money … but I'm not looking for a piece of land yet, because I have no idea if the conditions will be ones we can live with," Adelson, 74, said before testifying at a legislative hearing on Gov. Deval Patrick's bill for three resort casinos.

Adelson said he would prefer the Marlborough area to Boston because of its accessibility from all directions.

But the Dorchester native and Newton homeowner doesn't think the state can handle three casinos, as Patrick has proposed, and said he may not be interested in entering a saturated market.

He also said bets would be off if the state taxes casinos more than the proposed 27 percent, or expects him to partner with Indian tribes or racetrack owners.

The casino mogul has a vision for success, embodied by his Las Vegas Venetian Casino, and doesn't want to settle for anything short of a full resort with up to 300,000 square feet of casino space, Broadway shows, convention centers, hotels, shopping and restaurants.

Clad in a blue pinstripe suit, Adelson waited through hours of testimony at the State House hearing, and seemed equally as willing to wait for a legislative process that could take years.

"It's up to the state, let them take as long as they want," he said, estimating that he could build a casino in two years if the skeptical state Legislature decides to legalize expanded gambling.

Despite having dozens of offers to build internationally, Adelson said he would pursue a Massachusetts option, but doesn't want to have to sell lawmakers or residents on his ideas.

"If the local community doesn't want it, it's OK. I only want to develop where what we can do brings value to the community," he said, touting his employee benefits and the 180 millionaires on his payroll.

Adelson recalled that as a young adult he was dragged to a floating craps game by his friends, and he pointed to the daily trips his father made to Suffolk Downs.

Chuckling, he asked, "Do you really think that gambling doesn't exist in the state? If you do you're awfully naïve."

MetroWest Daily News staff writer Lindsey Parietti can be reached at lindsey.parietti@cnc.com.