Las Vegas Sands lands in Great Falls as Adelsons push Texas casino bill

Las Vegas Sands flew from Cologne Bonn to Great Falls on Monday, a nine-hour transatlantic hop that brought the company's Boeing Business Jet, N108MS, to a small Montana airport just north of the state capital. Great Falls is not a typical corporate destination for a casino operator whose portfolio spans Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands and five Macao resorts — but it sits on a direct great-circle route between Europe and the western United States, making it a logical fuel-and-customs stop.

The same week, Las Vegas Sands is pushing forward with its long-running campaign to legalize destination casino resorts in Texas, as reported by Yogonet International. The Adelson family, which controls the company through majority owner Miriam Adelson, has spent roughly $29 million on Texas political efforts tied to casino legalization since acquiring the Dallas Mavericks. The company has also hired technology staff in the Dallas area and is seeking zoning changes on the former Texas Stadium site in Irving, though Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick continues to oppose expanded gambling.

The stop-over in Great Falls follows a pattern of European travel for Las Vegas Sands. Last week the aircraft flew from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and then to Cologne, a city near the company’s European operations. The return routing through Montana — rather than a direct flight to Las Vegas or Dallas — suggests the trip may have involved a crew change or a logistical pause before the final leg home.