Inside Asian Gaming

IAG FEB 2021年2月 亞博匯 38 COVER STORY Power Couple 權勢夫婦 E normous wealth made Sheldon and Dr Miriam Adelson key political players in the US and Israel. Adelson grew up supporting US Democrats but “the party left me,” he wrote in a 2012 Wall Street Journal op-ed. However, he staunchly opposed unionization at The Venetian, whereas Democrats traditionally back unions. When he got wealthy, Adelson embraced the Republican gospel of low taxes. From the 2008 election cycle, the Adelsons contributed tens of millions of dollars to Republican candidates, pledging US$100 million to campaigns in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2020. Many saw the Adelsons motivating Donald Trump’s decision to relocate the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Dr Adelson, born Miriam Farbstein in Tel Aviv in 1945 under British Mandate, is often seen as the driving force of Adelson’s staunchly pro-Israeli outlook. However, Adelson traced his Jewish identity