BETHLEHEM, Pa.
Eastern Pennsylvania’s Sands Bethlehem casino resort has been purchased by Wind Creek Hospitality, an affiliate of Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians, from Las Vegas Sands Corp. for $1.3 billion.
Sands Bethlehem offers 12,000 square feet of meeting space and 14,000 square feet of tradeshow space.
No closing date for the sale was announced and the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions. A potential deal to sell the property to MGM Resorts International fell apart last year.
Wind Creek Hospitality currently owns nine casinos and racetracks, mostly located in the Caribbean and southern U.S.: Wind Creek-branded properties in the Alabama cities of Atmore, Montgomery and Wetumpka; the Renaissance Aruba and Renaissance Curacao, branded affiliates of the Renaissance Las Vegas; Wa She Shu Casino in Gardnerville, Nev.; Florida’s Pensacola Greyhound Track and Poker Room and Theodore, Ala.’s Mobile Greyhound Track; and the Creek Entertainment Gretna poker room in Gretna, Fla.
“The quality of the property and dedication of the team members to genuinely engage with customers was evident from the first time we visited the property,” said Stephanie Bryan, tribal chair and CEO of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. “The addition of this fantastic team and property to our portfolio furthers our desire to secure a long and prosperous future for our tribe.
"We look forward to working with our new team members and the community to cement Wind Creek Bethlehem's position as the premier entertainment destination in the northeast," she added. "We are proud of our ability to become valued partners with communities surrounding our Wind Creek Hospitality properties.”
Las Vegas Sands Corp. properties include The Venetian and The Palazzo resorts and Sands Expo in Las Vegas and the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd., the company owns a portfolio of properties on the Cotai Strip in Macao, including The Venetian Macao, The Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Sands Cotai Central and The Parisian Macao, as well as the Sands Macao on the Macao Peninsula.
“Sands Bethlehem has become one of the leading regional entertainment and gaming destinations in the United States and we are extremely proud of the positive contributions the property has made for Bethlehem, the Lehigh Valley and Eastern Pennsylvania,” said Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
“We are pleased to have built a strong foundation that can be the basis for the property's future success and more importantly, we are proud to have delivered on our promise of bringing thousands of good paying jobs, generating significant economic impact and revitalizing a site of sentimental and historical importance.”
