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{{Short description|Historic hotel and casino in Nevada, United States}}
{{Redirect|The Sands|other uses|Sands (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Sands Casino}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox Casino
| casino              = Sands Hotel and Casino
| logo                = Sands Hotel and Casino logo.jpg
| logo_size           = 160px
| logo_caption        = 
| image               = The_Sands_Hotel_and_Casino_in_1959.jpg
| image_size          = 260px
| image_caption       = Sands Hotel and Casino in 1959
| location            = [[Paradise, Nevada]]
| pushpin_map         = United States Las Vegas Strip#Nevada
| address             = 3355 South [[Las Vegas Boulevard]]
| date_opened         = {{start date and age|1952|12|15}}
| names_pre           = 
| date_closed         = {{start date and age|1996|06|30}}
| casino_type         = Land-based
| owner               = {{nowrap| 1967–1981 [[Howard Hughes]]<br />1981–1983 Inns of Americas<br />1983–1988 [[Summa Corporation|Summa Corp.]]<br />1988–1989 [[MGM Grand, Inc.]]<br />1989–1996 [[Las Vegas Sands]] }}
| architect           = [[Wayne McAllister]] (1952)<br>Julius Gabrielle (Aqueduct)<br>[[Martin Stern Jr.]] (1964)
| rooms               = 
200 (1952)<br />715 (1996)
| coordinates         = {{coord|36|07|17|N|115|10|08|W|region:US-NV_type:landmark_scale:3000|display=inline,title}}
| space_gaming        = 
| attractions         = [[Copa Room]]
| notable_restaurants = 
| renovations         = 1965, 1978
}}
The '''Sands Hotel and Casino''' was a historic hotel and casino on the [[Las Vegas Strip]] in Paradise, Nevada, United States, that operated from 1952 to 1996. Designed by architect [[Wayne McAllister]], with a prominent {{convert|56|ft|adj=on}} high sign, the Sands was the seventh resort to open on the Strip.  During its heyday, it hosted many famous entertainers of the day, most notably the [[Rat Pack]] and [[Jerry Lewis]].

The hotel was established in 1952 by Mack Kufferman,<ref name="Schwartz">{{cite book |last=Schwartz |first=David G. |date=2020 |title=At the Sands |url=http://atthesands.com |publisher=Winchester Books }}</ref> who bought the LaRue Restaurant which had opened a year earlier.<ref name="Schwartz" /> The hotel was opened on December 15, 1952, as a casino and hotel with 200 rooms. The hotel rooms were divided into four two-story motel wings, each with fifty rooms, and named after famous race tracks. Crime bosses such as [[Doc Stacher]]<ref name="Schwartz" /> and [[Meyer Lansky]] acquired shares in the hotel and attracted [[Frank Sinatra]], who made his performing debut at Sands in October 1953. Sinatra later bought a share in the hotel himself. In 1960, the classic caper film ''[[Ocean's 11]]'' was shot at the hotel, and it subsequently attained iconic status,<ref name="OnlineNevada">{{cite web|url=http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/sands-hotel|title=Sands Hotel|publisher=Onlinenevada.org|access-date=July 29, 2015|archive-date=August 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804223444/https://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/sands-hotel|url-status=dead}}</ref> with regular performances by Sinatra, [[Dean Martin]], Jerry Lewis, [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Red Skelton]] and others in the hotel's world-renowned [[Copa Room]].

In 1966, Sands opened a 500-room tower.<ref name="VLV">{{cite web |url=http://vintagelasvegas.com/strip |title=Index of hotels, motels, casinos, race books |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Vintage Las Vegas |access-date=September 26, 2020 }}</ref> In 1967, Sands became the first of several Las Vegas hotels to be purchased by [[Howard Hughes]].<ref name="VLV"/> Its final owners were [[Sheldon Adelson]], Richard Katzeff, Ted Bernard, Irwin Chafetz, and Jordan Shapiro. After buying out his partners, Adelson shut it down to build a brand new resort. On November 26, 1996, the Sands was imploded and demolished, and [[The Venetian (Las Vegas)|The Venetian]] was built in its place.

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Danny Thomas 1957.JPG|thumb|right|upright|[[Danny Thomas]] performed at the Sands on its opening night]]

The LaRue Restaurant was established in December 1950 by Billy Wilkerson.<ref name="Goertler"/> The following year, Mack Kufferman bought LaRue, with plans to build a hotel and casino.<ref name="Schwartz" /> Kufferman failed to gain a gaming license, and his shares in the project were sold to Jake Freedman.<ref name="Schwartz" /> Numerous sources state that organized crime figures [[Meyer Lansky]]{{sfn|Fry|2011|p=39}} and [[Doc Stacher]];{{sfn|Jones|1995|p=25}} illegal bookmakers like Mike Shapiro,{{Sfn|Lewis|Davis|1979|p=170}}{{efn|Michael (Mike) Shapiro was a Los Angeles bookmaker.{{sfn|Randlett|1999|p=191}} He had been associated with Hymie Miller and Sam Boss in a bookmaking establishment called "Western Commissions" on Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles.<ref>{{citation|access-date=December 19, 2015|url=https://archive.org/stream/investigationofo10unit/investigationofo10unit_djvu.txt|title=Investigation of organized crime in interstate commerce. Hearings before a Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, United States Senate, Eighty-first Congress, second session|year=1950–1951}}</ref> In 1952, he was a co-owner of record of the Sands hotel, as were Eddie Levinson, Eddie Torres, [[Hyman Abrams]], Chicago racketeer Malcolm Clarke, St. Louis bookie [[Sid Wyman]] and Louis Lederer.{{sfn|Randlett|1999|p=191}} In 1956, he was one of the gambling licencees for the [[Fremont Hotel and Casino|Fremont Hotel]] in downtown Las Vegas with a 6% ($150,000) stake.<ref>{{citation|url=http://over50vegas.com/200_Fremont___Fremont_Hotel_Casino.html|access-date=December 19, 2015|title=Fremont Hotel & Casino|work=Over50Vegas}}</ref>}} [[Ed Levinson]],{{Sfn|Sheehan|1997|p=12}} and [[Sid Wyman]]; as well as [[Hyman Abrams]] and [[Jack Entratter]]<ref name=Moehring>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oiuVDwAAQBAJ&dq=Hyman+Abrams+sands&pg=PT79|first= Eugene P. |last=Moehring|title=Resort City In The Sunbelt, Second Edition: Las Vegas, 1930-2000 |pages= |publisher=[[University of Nevada Press]]|date=May 1, 2000|isbn=978-0874173567}}</ref> were involved in the financing of Sands and had shares in it. Lansky and his mob assumed ownership of the [[Flamingo Hotel]] after the murder of [[Bugsy Siegel]] in 1947, and Lansky and [[New York City|New York]] mobster [[Frank Costello]] also had business interests in the [[Thunderbird Hotel]] and [[El Cortez Club]] in Downtown Las Vegas.{{sfn|Fry|2011|p=39}}
[[File:Sands opening ad Billboard 1952.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Advert for the opening in 1952]]
Construction began on Sands Hotel in early 1952, built to a design by [[Wayne McAllister]]. [[Paul Trousdale|Trousdale Construction Company]] of Los Angeles was the general contractor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sands Hotel and Casino Sign in Las Vegas Was Mid-Century Perfection – Invisible Themepark|url=https://www.invisiblethemepark.com/2018/06/sands-hotel-casino-sign-las-vegas-mid-century-perfection/|access-date=2021-07-20|language=en-US}}</ref> Initially the [[Nevada Tax Commission]] rejected Freedman's request for a gambling license due to his connections with known criminals.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108972161/sands-hotel-vegas-denied-gaming-license/|title=Freedman is Denied Vegas Gaming Permit|newspaper=[[Nevada State Journal]]|location=Reno, Nevada|date=6 August 1952|page=8|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}{{Open access}}</ref> Freedman had initially intended naming the hotel "Holiday Inn" after the film of the same name starring [[Bing Crosby]], but after noticing that his socks became so full of sand decided to name it Sands.{{Sfn|McCracken|1997|p=72}} The tag line would be "A Place in the Sun", named after a [[A Place in the Sun (1951 film)|recently released film]] starring [[Montgomery Clift]] and [[Elizabeth Taylor]], and quite suitable to the hot desert location of Las Vegas. The hotel was opened on December 15, 1952,<ref name="LVS 2008-05-15">{{Cite news|url=https://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/evolution-worlds-entertainment-capital/|title=Showtime: How Sin City evolved into 'The Entertainment Capital of the World'|last1=Koch|first1=Ed|last2=Manning|first2=Mary|date=May 15, 2008|newspaper=[[Las Vegas Sun]]|access-date=3 March 2019|last3=Toplikar|first3=Dave|archive-date=March 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043145/https://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/evolution-worlds-entertainment-capital/|url-status=dead}}</ref> as a casino with 200 rooms, and was established less than three months after the opening of another prominent landmark, [[Sahara Hotel and Casino]].{{sfn|McCracken|1997}} The opening was widely publicized, and the hotel was visited by some 12,000 people within a few hours.{{Sfn|Lewis|Davis|1979|p=170}} At the inauguration were 146 journalists and special guests such as [[Arlene Dahl]], [[Fernando Lamas]], [[Esther Williams]], and [[Terry Moore (actress)|Terry Moore]]. Every guest was given a Chamois bag with silver dollars, and Sands ended up losing $200,000 within the first eight hours.<ref name="Goertler">{{cite web|author=Goertler, Pam|url=http://www.ccgtcc-ccn.com/LV%20Strip%20The%20Early%20Years.pdf|title=The Las Vegas Strip: The Early Years|publisher=Casino Chip and Token News|pages=33–37|date=Fall 2007|access-date=July 27, 2015}}</ref> [[Danny Thomas]], [[Jimmy McHugh]] and the Copa Girls, labelled "the most beautiful girls in the world", performed in the [[Copa Room]] on opening night, and [[Ray Sinatra]] and his Orchestra were the initial house band. Thomas was hired to perform for the first two weeks, but strained his voice on the second night and developed [[laryngitis]],<ref name="Billboard">{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=Country's Top Act Spot Now Las Vegas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rB8EAAAAMBAJ&q=countrys+top+act+spot+now+las+vegas&pg=PA3|date=December 27, 1952|page=3|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> and was replaced with performers such as [[Jimmy Durante]], [[Frankie Laine]], [[Jane Powell]], the [[Ritz Brothers]], and [[Ray Anthony]].

[[Jack Entratter]], who was formerly in charge of the New York nightclub, the Copacabana, became the hotel's manager.  Entratter made many show business friends during his time at the nightclub; he was able to use these connections to sign performers for the Sands Copa Room. Entratter was also able to offer entertainers an additional incentive to perform at the Sands. Headlining stars received "points", or a percentage of ownership in the hotel and casino.<ref name=Entratter>{{cite news|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/frank-sinatra|title=Frank Sinatra|author=Weatherford, Mike|newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal|date=February 7, 1999|access-date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> Entratter's personally selected "Copa Girls" wore $12,000 worth of costumes on the hotel's opening night; this surpassed the salary of the Copa Room's star, Danny Thomas.<ref name=UNLV>{{cite web|url=http://digital.library.unlv.edu/collections/showgirls/jack-entratter-and-copa-girls|title=Jack Entratter and the Copa Girls|publisher=University of Nevada. Las Vegas|access-date=July 29, 2015|archive-date=November 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105090326/http://digital.library.unlv.edu/collections/showgirls/jack-entratter-and-copa-girls|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the early years, Freedman and his wife Carolyn were one of its attractions, wearing "matching white, leather outfits, replete with identical cowboy boots and hats". Freedman offered Carolyn's father Nathan a 5% stake in Sands but he declined the offer.{{sfn|Roggen|2001|p=43}}

===The Rat Pack and racial policy===
[[File:The Rat Pack with Jack Entratter at the Sands 1960.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[The Rat Pack]] with [[Jack Entratter]] in 1960]]
Lansky and Costello brought the Sands to [[Frank Sinatra]]'s attention, and he began staying at the hotel and gambling there during breaks from Hollywood, though some sources state that he was not a hardcore gambler.{{sfn|Consiglio|Douskey|2011|p=136}} Sinatra earned a notoriety for "keeping his winnings and ignoring his gambling losses", but the mobsters running the hotel were not too concerned because Sinatra was great for business.{{Sfn|Roman|2011|p=147}} He made his debut performing at the hotel on October 4, 1953,{{sfn|Clarke|2004|p=189}} after an invitation by the manager Jack Entratter.{{sfn|Consiglio|Douskey|2011|p=135}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Sands 'Summit' at Nevada State Museum concludes 'Copa Connection' series|newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal|date=October 23, 2014|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/arts-culture/sands-summit-nevada-state-museum-concludes-copa-connection-series|access-date=March 22, 2015}}</ref>
Sinatra typically played at Sands three times a year, sometimes a two-week stint, which "brought in the big rollers, a lot of oil money from Texas". The big rollers left Vegas when Sinatra did, and other performers were reluctant to perform after him, feeling intimidated.{{sfn|Consiglio|Douskey|2011|p=135}}

Entratter replaced Freedman as the president of the Sands Hotel following his death from heart surgery on January 20, 1958. Freedman's last wife Sadie subsequently lived in a suite in the Belmont Park wing into the mid-1960s until her death. Sinatra, who had attempted to buy a share in the hotel soon after first visiting in 1953, but was denied by the [[Nevada Tax Commission]], was now granted permission to buy a share in the hotel, due to his phenomenal impact upon business in Las Vegas. His share, variously described as from 2 to 9%,{{sfn|Jones|1995|p=25}} aided Freedman's wife in paying off her husband's gambling debts.{{efn|Under Entratter's "points" system, entertainers earned more of a percentage in the Sands by frequent performing appearances at the hotel.  The more frequently someone performed there, the more his or her "points" would increase.  Over time, Sinatra's appearances brought his share of the venue up to 9 %.<ref name=Entratter/> Sinatra was ordered to sell his interest in the Sands in 1963, due to his association with [[Sam Giancana]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2881720/sinatra_drives_golf_cart_through_sands/|title=Sinatra Hit in Mouth in Vegas Melee|publisher=The Times ([[San Mateo, California]])|date=September 12, 1967|page=8|access-date=July 29, 2015| via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>}}

In 1955, limited [[Racial integration|integration]] came to heavily [[Racial segregation|segregated]] Las Vegas when the Sands first allowed [[Nat King Cole]] to stay at the hotel and perform.<ref name="OnlineNevada"/> Sinatra noticed that he never saw Cole in the dining room, always eating his meals in solitude in his dressing room. When he asked his valet George to find out why, he learned that "Coloreds aren't allowed in the dining room at the Sands". Sinatra subsequently stated that if blacks were not permitted to eat their meals in the dining room with everybody else he would see to it that all of the waiters and waitresses were fired, and invited Cole to dine with him the following evening.{{Sfn|Roman|2011|p=111}} Cole was allowed permission into the casino, as was another black performer, [[Harry Belafonte]], who took a more aggressive approach by walking into the casino on his own accord and sitting at a blackjack table, which was not challenged by the bosses. Belafonte became the "first black man to play cards on the Las Vegas Strip."{{Sfn|Roman|2011|pp=111–12}}

[[Sammy Davis Jr.]] was instrumental in bringing about a general change in policy. When the [[Will Mastin Trio]] began performing at Sands in 1958, Davis informed Entratter that his father and uncle must be allowed permission to stay at Sands while he was performing there.  Entratter granted them permission but continued his objection to admitting other black guests.{{Sfn|Land|Land|2004|p=148}} In 1961, an African-American couple entered the lobby of the hotel and were blocked by the security guard, witnessed by Sinatra and Davis.  Sinatra told the guards that they were his guests and let them into the hotel. Sinatra subsequently swore profusely on the phone to Sands executive [[Carl Cohen (businessman)|Carl Cohen]] at how ridiculous the situation was, and the following day, Davis approached Entratter and demanded that Sands begin employing blacks. Shortly afterwards the hotel changed its policy and it began hiring black waiters and busboys and permitting blacks entry into the casino.{{Sfn|Land|Land|2004|p=148}}

In the late 1950s, [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[John F. Kennedy]] was occasionally a guest of Sinatra at the Sands. Arguably the hotel's biggest claim to fame was a three-week period in 1960 during the filming of ''[[Ocean's 11 (1960 film)|Ocean's 11]]'', after which it attained iconic status. During that time, the movie's stars Sinatra, [[Dean Martin]], Davis, [[Joey Bishop]] and [[Peter Lawford]] performed on stage together in the Copa Room. The performances were called the "Summit at the Sands" and this is considered to be the birth of the [[Rat Pack]].<ref name=Entratter/><ref>{{cite news|author=Scott, Cathy|url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1996/nov/26/rat-pack-made-sands-the-place/?framing=history|title= Rat Pack made Sands 'the place'|newspaper=Las Vegas Sun|date=November 26, 1996|access-date=July 24, 2015}}</ref>

===Later history===
[[File:Lillian Briggs - The Sands Hotel, Las Vegas (1956) 001.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lillian Briggs]] performing at the Sands in January 1956]]
When [[Howard Hughes]] purchased the hotel in the mid-1960s for $14.6 million,<ref name="Goertler" /> the architect [[Martin Stern Jr.]] designed a 500-room circular tower, which opened in 1967. The tower was built by R. C. Johnson and Associates General Contractors. The hotel became a Las Vegas landmark.{{sfn|Nichols|2007|p=144}} Hughes grew particularly annoyed every time the Rat Pack were in his hotel, due to a hatred of Frank Sinatra which stemmed from the fact that he had been in love with [[Ava Gardner]] in the 1950s and she had run off to marry Sinatra. The ill feeling was reciprocated by Sinatra.{{sfn|Sheridan|2011|p=52}} Hughes plotted to oust Sinatra from the Sands for good, and asked [[Robert Maheu]] to draw up a plan shortly after the new hotel opened in 1967. The hotel imposed restrictions on what Sinatra could gamble in the casino, to just $3,000 a night. Under previous management, Sinatra had no limits on the amount of credit extended to him by the Sands casino.  His [[IOU]]s, [[Voucher|chits]] or "markers" were torn up at the end of Sinatra's engagements because he was considered to be good for business—bringing the hotel more monetary value than the worth of his gambling losses.<ref name=enraged /> Hughes put a stop to this system, telling Jack Entratter to inform Sinatra of the new policy; Entratter did not do so because he was afraid.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2881690/san_antonio_express/|title=Jimmy Despises Casino Gambling|author=Snyder, Jimmy "the Greek"|date=July 3, 1975|publisher=San Antonio Express|page=8|access-date=July 29, 2015 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>{{efn|Sinatra came to his September 1967 engagement at the Sands with the expectation that new owner Howard Hughes would relieve him of his ownership in the [[Cal Neva Lodge & Casino]] in Lake Tahoe. Sinatra had long wanted to sell his interest in the property and reasoned that since he was an asset to the Sands' business, Hughes would buy his Cal-Neva shares in the interest of keeping the star happy. Hughes declined to buy Sinatra's shares and would not acknowledge Sinatra's phone calls. An angry Sinatra left the hotel for his Palm Springs home and the Sands had no headlining star for its Labor Day weekend. Jack Entratter was able to get Sammy Davis Jr., Della Reese, Nancy Ames and other entertainers to fill in for the missing Sinatra. Sinatra returned to the Sands after the [[Labor Day]] weekend and promptly asked for US$1,000 credit, which was denied on orders of Hughes. At the time of the golf cart incident, Sinatra was aware that the practice of the Sands extending him credit had ended.<ref name=happy>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2881915/keeping_stars_happy_part_3/|title=How to Keep Stars Happy|author=Shearer. Lloyd|work=Parade Magazine|page=9|date=October 15, 1967|access-date=July 29, 2015 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> After Sinatra signed a contract with Caesar's Palace, it was announced that Caesar's Palace had purchased the Sinatra Cal-Neva shares.<ref name=enraged>{{cite news|title=Sinatra Enraged|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2908824/sinatra_enraged_2/|page=5|date=September 12, 1967|work=Ukiah Daily Journal|access-date=July 29, 2015|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{Open access}}</ref>}}{{efn|Frank Sinatra was not the first Rat Pack member to leave the Sands; Dean Martin signed a contract with [[Riviera (hotel and casino)|The Riviera]] shortly after Hughes became the Sands' owner.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2881671/dean_martin_leave_sands_as_a_performer/|title=Howard Hughes Likes to Play Secret Agent|author=Laytner, Ron|page=13|date=January 26, 1972|work=El Paso Herald-Post|access-date=July 29, 2015|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{Open access}}</ref>}}

Fuming, Sinatra began what ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' describes as a "weekend-long tirade" against the "hotel's management, employees and security forces."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-30-me-1117-story.html|title=Ex-Casino Executive Carl Cohen; Noted for Punching Frank Sinatra|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=December 30, 1986|access-date=July 25, 2015}}</ref> The FBI report says the incident began when [[Mia Farrow]] lost $20,000 at the Sands casino. Sinatra bought $50,000 in chips and made an attempt to win the money back. He lost this sum within a short period of time. Sinatra then asked for credit, which was denied.<ref name=SandsFBI /> It culminated when Sinatra reportedly drove a golf cart through the window of the coffee shop where casino manager Carl Cohen was seated and began "screaming obscenities and anti-Semitic remarks" at Cohen.{{sfn|Sheridan|2011|p=54}}{{efn|Sinatra also destroyed the Sands penthouse apartment he was staying in during his engagement there.<ref name=SandsFBI>{{cite web|url=https://vault.fbi.gov/Frank%20Sinatra/Frank%20Sinatra%20Part%2011%20of%2030/view|title=Frank Sinatra Part 11|page=1|publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)|access-date=August 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2881735/sinatra_vows_to_tear_down_sands_after/|title=Enraged Sinatra Dumped|page=1|date=September 12, 1967|publisher=Ukiah Daily Journal|access-date=July 29, 2015|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>}} Sinatra reportedly punched Cohen, a heavily built man, who responded with a smack in the mouth, bloodying Sinatra's nose and knocking two of his teeth out.<!--The only copy of the Anka book viewable at Google is an eBook with no page numbers.  The page numbers have been derived from a comparison of a viewable print book at Amazon.com. -->{{sfn|Anka|Dalton|2013|pp=168–171}}{{efn|Entertainer [[Paul Anka]], who is also the author of Sinatra's "signature song", [[My Way]], was at the Sands at the time and witnessed the incident. His account describes Sinatra as having had too much to drink when he drove the golf cart into the plate glass window of the Sands; Sinatra's wife, [[Mia Farrow]], was his passenger. Sinatra then tried to set fire to sofas and curtains in the hotel's lobby, but was not successful at starting a fire. When he was denied credit to continue gambling, Sinatra climbed onto a gaming table and declared that he would tear the hotel down to sand when he was done.  Since this was taking place at around 1:30 am local time, casino manager Carl Cohen was awakened. Cohen went to the hotel's coffee shop where he hoped to reason with Sinatra.  Sinatra became angry during Cohen's explanation and upset the table where Cohen was seated. Cohen was scalded with hot coffee and it was then that he punched Sinatra in the mouth.{{sfn|
Anka|Dalton|2013|pp=168–171}}}} As a result, Sinatra never performed at the Sands again while Hughes owned it, and began performing at [[Caesars Palace]].{{sfn|Sheridan|2011|p=54}} A number of the staff were not disappointed to see Sinatra leave the Sands. Numerous employees had been humiliated or intimidated over the years, including a busboy Sinatra tripped while he was carrying a tray with dishes.{{sfn|Sheridan|2011|p=55}}{{efn|Many newspapers printed editorials supportive of Carl Cohen's actions. The New Hampshire newspaper, ''The Portsmouth Herald'' ran an editorial entitled "Carl Cohen for President?"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2881696/carl_cohen_for_presidentportsmouth/|title=Carl Cohen for President?|newspaper=The Portsmouth Herald|page=4|date=September 13, 1967|access-date=July 29, 2015 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>}} After Sinatra left, the mobsters pulled out of the Sands and gradually left Vegas in the 1970s.{{Sfn|Bakken|2010|p=364}} In the 1970s, it became associated with the likes of [[Wayne Newton]] and [[Liberace]].<ref name="Inc.2005">{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=Stars on the Strip|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zBQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29|date=July 2, 2005|page=29|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> At this time, some 30% of the performers at Sands were Italian Americans. [[Frank Gagliardi]] became the drummer for the house orchestra in 1964, starting a twelve-year tenure.{{Sfn|Balboni|Edwards|2006|p=37}}

In 1968, Hughes stated that he intended to expand Sands into a 4,000-room resort, but his plans did not materialize.<ref name="OnlineNevada" /> In 1980, Hughes' company, [[Summa Corporation]], sold the Sands to the Pratt Corporation.
Jack, Edward and Willian Pratt, said they would spend $40 million in renovating the Sands Hotel and expanding the rooms, casino and public area accommodations, but subsequently bought it back as they were unable to make a profit.<ref name="OnlineNevada" /> [[MGM Grand, Inc.]] bought the hotel along with the neighboring [[Desert Inn]] in 1988 for a total of $167 million,<ref>{{cite news|title=Tracinda unit completes buy|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=February 3, 1988|url=http://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=j000000020011117dk2300323&cat=a&ep=ASE}} {{subscription required|via=Factiva}}</ref> and the property became known as the MGM Sands.<ref>{{cite news|title=MGM Grand posts loss of $955,000|newspaper=Daily Breeze|location=Torrance, CA|date=November 4, 1988|agency=AP|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:BRZB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=112F582F85F70DC8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref> The next year, MGM sold it for $110 million to [[Las Vegas Sands]], a new company formed by the owners of The Interface Group, including [[Sheldon Adelson]], Richard Katzeff, Ted Cutler, Irwin Chafetz and Jordan Shapiro.<ref>{{cite news|title=L.A. briefly – developments|newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News|date=May 20, 1989|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:LANB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EF51E77E4C602CF&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=1028A39C75C2B899|via=NewsBank}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=MGM Grand's sale of Sands|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=May 1, 1989|url=http://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=j000000020011116dl5100bl7&cat=a&ep=ASE}} {{subscription required|via=Factiva}}</ref> The same year, it was licensed by the [[Nevada Gaming Commission]], and Adelson became a casino magnate.{{sfn|Thompson|2015|p=1}} In the early 1990s, Adelson built the Sands Expo, a {{convert|1|e6ft2|adj=on}} convention centre.<ref name="OnlineNevada" />

[[File:Sands 95 (28276862784).jpg|thumb|left|The Sands in 1995]]
In its final years, the Sands became a shadow of its former self—a throwback to the old days—and it ultimately could not compete with the newer and more exciting mega-resorts that were being built on the Strip. However, a 1990s travel guide stated that the hotel gardens and pool area still retained the ambiance of the classic Sands days.{{sfn|Fodor's|1995|p=57}} The decision was eventually made by its final owner, Sheldon Adelson, to shut it down and to build a brand new resort. The last dice in the casino was rolled by [[Bob Stupak]] just after 6:00{{spaces}}p.m. on June{{spaces}}30, 1996.<ref name="Goertler" /> At 2:06am on November{{spaces}}26, 1996,<ref>{{cite web|author=Scott, Catherine|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/1996/nov/26/historic-44-year-old-hotel-casino-now-a-30-foot-pi/|title=Historic 44-year-old hotel-casino now a 30-foot pile of rubble|publisher=Las Vegas Sun|date=26 November 1996|accessdate=10 March 2024}}</ref> it was imploded and demolished, much to the dismay of longtime employees and sentimentalists. Footage of the demolition also appeared in the [[closing credits]] of ''[[The Cooler]]''. The climactic plane crash in 1997's ''[[Con Air]]'' ended with the aircraft crashing into the soon-to-be-demolished Sands' lobby.{{Sfn|Block|2011|p=78}}

On May 3, 1999, the new $1.5 billion megaresort [[The Venetian Las Vegas|The Venetian]] opened where the Sands had formerly been, a 35-story hotel with 3,036 rooms, covering an area of {{convert|17|e6ft2|e6m2|abbr=unit}}.<ref name="Goertler" /> It became the largest [[AAA Five Diamond Award|AAA Five-Diamond]] landmark in North America.{{sfn|Hawks|Higgins|2009|p=114}}

==Architecture==
[[File:Sands Hotel and Casino in the early 1960s.jpg|thumb|280px|Sands Hotel and Casino in the early 1960s]]

=== Wayne McAllister design, 1952 ===
[[Wayne McAllister]] designed the original $5.5 million Sands Hotel,{{Sfn|Rose|1996|p=180}} an exotic-looking terracotta red-painted modern hotel with a prominent ''[[Porte-cochère|porte cochère]]'' at the front, surrounded by a zig-zag wall ornamented with tiled planters. The hotel is arguably most associated with its {{convert|56|ft}} high sign, made iconic with photographs of the Rat Pack standing underneath it. The name "Sands", written in elegant italics, featured a {{convert|36|ft}} high letter "S", and the name was sprawled across an egg crate grill, cantilevered from a pillar. The sign was receptive to the light and shadow of the desert, and during night time it was lit up, glowing neon red. It was the tallest sign on the strip for a number of years. Beneath "Sands" was the tagline "A Place in the Sun", written in smaller capital letters.{{Sfn|Humble|Baldwin|2007|p=13}} Below that was the billing of the names of the performers appearing at Sands, very often photographed displaying names such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, [[Jerry Lewis]], Sammy Davis Jr. and [[Red Skelton]] in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Author Alan Hess wrote that the "sleek Modernism of the Sands leaped past the Flamingo to set a higher standard of sophistication for Las Vegas. For the first time, the sign was an integral part of the architectural design."{{sfn|Hess|1993|p=51}}
[[File:Sands Aqueduct building 1963.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The Aqueduct building in 1963]]
The ''porte-cochère'' of the hotel featured three great sharp-edged pillars jutting out in front of the glass-fronted building, angling down into the ground, which resembled fins. The two-story glass walled entry was bordered by a wall of imported Italian marble, and above the entrance area was a horizontal plane with copper lights suspended from the beams.<ref name="LVS52" />{{Sfn|Papa|2009|p=73}}  Rather than being polished, the marble was unusual in that it was rough and grained. Natural and stained cork was used throughout the building.<ref name="LVS52" /> A.J. Leibling of ''The New Yorker'' described the hotel in 1953: "The main building of the Sands is a great rectangular hall, with the reception desk in one corner, slot machines along one long wall and a bar and cocktail lounge, complete with Latin trio, along the opposite wall. In the middle is a jumble of roulette and craps tables and 21 layouts."<ref name="Goertler" /> The casino, of substantial size, was accessed by three sets of [[terrazzo]] stairs and was lit by low-hanging chandeliers. The bar featured bas-reliefs with a Western theme, including cowboys, racing wagons and Joshua trees, designed by Allan Stewart of [[Claremont Colleges|Claremont College]], California.<ref name="LVS52">{{cite news|url=http://lasvegassun.com/news/1952/dec/15/gala-sands-opening-tonight/|title=Gala Sands Opening Tonight|newspaper=Las Vegas Sun|access-date=July 29, 2015}}</ref> The Garden Room restaurant overlooked the hotel's pool and landscaped grounds.<ref name="OnlineNevada" />

The guest rooms were located in a group of stand-alone, two-storey buildings.{{sfn|McCracken|1997|p=73}} There were six 40-room, 168' by 59'6 blocks – named after the racetracks [[Arlington Park|Arlington]], [[Belmont Park|Belmont]], [[Santa Anita Park|Santa Anita]], [[Rockingham Park|Rockingham]], [[Bay Meadows Racetrack|Bay Meadows]], and [[Hialeah Park Race Track|Hialeah]] – and one double-long block named [[Churchill Downs]]. Each block had a white [[Architecture of Bermuda|Bermuda roof]] with a 3/12 pitch. The blocks were arranged in a Y formation. Rooms were designed and furnished by [[Barker Bros.]] of Los Angeles. Later in the 1950s, the additional bedroom blocks [[Hollywood Park Racetrack|Hollywood Park]] and [[Garden State Park Racetrack|Garden State]] were built.<ref name="Goertler" /> The suites were luxuriously designed. Plush blue carpets and ivory-colored chairs with white ceilings were the norm in the early days. An electric tram service, often attended by pretty showgirls, took the guests to their rooms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westvegas.com/vegasville/UP_SANDS_TRAM_VV_500_341.jpg|title=Sands Tram (photograph)|publisher=Westvegas.com|access-date=July 30, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075011/http://www.westvegas.com/vegasville/UP_SANDS_TRAM_VV_500_341.jpg|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1963, a new bedroom building, named the [[Aqueduct Racetrack|Aqueduct]], was constructed. The Aqueduct was crescent shaped and was three storeys high, 275' long, and '70 wide. The architect of the new block was Julius Gabrielle, and furnishings were provided by the Albert Parvin Company of Los Angeles. Dick Wells, a Parvin employee, designed the suites.

=== Martin Stern rebuild, 1964 ===
[[File:Sands Hotel and Casino c.1967.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Martin Stern Jr.'s rebuilt Sands in the late 1960s]]
In 1963, Martin Stern Jr. was hired to design a major overhaul of the hotel. Stern's plan amounted to an almost total rebuild of the main building and erased most of the defining features of McAllister's original design. To expand the main building, the Arlington and Belmont blocks were lifted and moved southwards. Stern's plans were completed by the fall of 1964. The rebuild included the addition of a convention hall, an entrance rotunda, new restaurants, and a 17-storey tower. Stern's design employed a prominent arch motif in the tower and the hotel façade. Construction of the tower commenced in late 1965,<ref name="Goertler" /> and was completed in 1967. It existed until November 1996 when it was demolished.{{sfn|McCracken|1997|p=71}}

The steam room of the hotel was a place of relaxation and good jest. It became a great place for socializing between the stars after 5 pm,<ref name="Goertler" /> including the Rat Pack, and [[Jerry Lewis]], [[Steve Lawrence]] and [[Don Rickles]]. On one occasion they were having problems with the TV in the massage room, which was blurry and out of focus. Sinatra yelled "Move back, move back", and the television was thrown into the pool. Manager Entratter permitted such activities, knowing that if he scolded Sinatra and asked him to pay damages, he would not perform at Sands again.{{sfn|Consiglio|Douskey|2011|p=136}}

===Copa Room===
<!--The montage photos were selected because of their size and because all are black and white photos. -->
{{image frame
| content = {{Photomontage
| photo2a = Judy Garland Ford Star Jubilee 1955.JPG{{!}}Judy Garland
| photo2b = Lena Horne 1961.JPG {{!}}Lena Horne
| photo2c = Jimmy durante 1964.JPG{{!}}Jimmy Durante
| photo3a = Marlene Dietrich NBC Radio Monitor.jpg{{!}}Marlene Dietrich
| photo3b = Tallulah Bankhead 1940.jpg{{!}}Tallulah Bankhead
| photo3c = Bobby Darin 1972.JPG{{!}}Bobby Darin
| photo4a = Ethel merman 1967.JPG{{!}}Ethel Merman
| photo4b = Louis Armstrong NYWTS 3.jpg{{!}}Louis Armstrong
| photo4c = Nat King Cole 1952.JPG{{!}}Nat King Cole
| photo5a = Jerry Lewis 1973.JPG{{!}}Jerry Lewis
| photo5b = Red Skelton 1960 rebalance.jpg{{!}}Red Skelton
| photo5c = Jerry Lee Lewis 1950s publicity photo cropped retouched.jpg{{!}}Jerry Lee Lewis
| size = 275| spacing = 8| color = transparent| border = 0
}}
| width= 285
| caption = Sands Copa Room stars: Top from left: [[Judy Garland]], [[Lena Horne]], [[Jimmy Durante]]. Middle from left: [[Marlene Dietrich]], [[Tallulah Bankhead]], [[Bobby Darin]]. Middle from left: [[Ethel Merman]], [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Nat King Cole]].  Bottom from left: [[Jerry Lewis]], [[Red Skelton]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]
}}
The [[Copa Room]] was the showroom of Sands, named after the famed [[Copacabana (nightclub)|Copacabana Club]] in [[New York City]]. It contained 385 seats, designed in a Brazilian carnival style.<ref name="Billboard" /> Some of the more famed singers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. had to sign contracts to ensure that they headline for a given number of weeks a year.  Performers were extremely well paid for the period. It was common for some of them to be paid $25,000 per week,{{sfn|Raymond|2015|p=17}}{{sfn|Fishgall|2010|p=77}}{{Sfn|Clarke|2004|p=189}} playing two shows a night, six days a week, and once on a Sunday for two to three weeks.
[[File:Sands Hotel Copa Room.jpg|thumb|left|The Copa Room]]
The greatest names in the entertainment industry graced the stage of the Copa Room. Notable performers included [[Judy Garland]],{{Sfn|Sheehan|1992|p=65}} [[Lena Horne]] (one of the first black performers at the hotel,{{Sfn|Gavin|2009|p=242}} billed as "The Satin Doll"), [[Jimmy Durante]],{{Sfn|Bakish|1994|p=169}} [[Dean Martin]], [[Pat Cooper]], [[Shirley MacLaine]], [[Marlene Dietrich]],{{Sfn|Vermilye|1992|p=29}} [[Tallulah Bankhead]],{{Sfn|Gubler|2008|p=33}} [[Shecky Greene]],{{Sfn|Sheldon|2005|p=341}} [[Martin and Lewis]], Danny Thomas, [[Bobby Darin]],{{sfn|Starr|2011|p=52}} [[Ethel Merman]], [[Rich Little]],<ref name="Inc.1974">{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=Las Vegas Retains Its MOR Legacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hAkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA2-PA40|date=December 26, 1974|page=40|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> [[Louis Armstrong]],{{sfn|Willems|2006|p=254}} [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[Patti Page]], French singer [[Edith Piaf]], [[Nat King Cole]], [[Robert Merrill]],<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Jet|title=Singing Switch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B78DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|date=October 28, 1954|page=32|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|issn=0021-5996}}</ref> Wayne Newton,{{Sfn|Newton|Maurice|1991|p=93}} Red Skelton,{{sfn|Gehring|2008|p=300}} and "The Copa Girls". Hollywood celebrities such as [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[Lauren Bacall]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/rat-pack-makes-home-las-vegas-strip/|title=Rat Pack reveled in Vegas; revered by the world|newspaper=Las Vegas Sun|date=May 15, 2008|access-date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Yul Brynner]], [[Kirk Douglas]],{{Sfn|Fishgall|2010|p=151}} [[Lucille Ball]] and [[Rosalind Russell]] were often photographed enjoying the headline acts.

A number of notable albums were recorded in the Copa Room. Among them are Dean Martin's ''[[Live from Las Vegas (Dean Martin album)|Live At The Sands – An Evening of Music, Laughter and Hard Liquor]]'', Frank Sinatra's ''[[Sinatra at the Sands]]'', and Sammy Davis, Jr.'s ''[[The Sounds of '66]]'' {{Sfn|Holden|2015|p=52}} and ''[[That's All!]]''. ''The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands'', a CD released in 2001, features Martin, Sinatra and Davis in a live performance at the hotel recorded in September 1963.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-rat-pack-live-at-the-sands-mw0000016344|title=The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands|website=AllMusic|access-date=July 29, 2015}}</ref> ''[[Live at the Sands]]'' is an album featuring [[Mary Wilson (singer)|Mary Wilson]], formerly of [[The Supremes]].{{Sfn|MacKenzie|2009|p=417}} [[Morrissey]]'s B-side track, "At Amber" (1990), takes place at the Sands Hotel, and recounts its by-then aging and somewhat seedy atmosphere. Much of the musical success of the Copa Room is credited to the room's band leader and musical conductor [[Antonio Morelli]]. Morelli not only acted as the band leader and musical conductor for the Copa Room during the hotel's Rat Pack heyday in the 1950s and 1960s,{{sfn|James|2009|p=180}} but he also served in that role on hundreds of recorded albums by those same entertainers who graced the stage of the Copa. Often the festivities would carry over after hours to Morrelli's home in Las Vegas, nicknamed "The [[Morelli House]]", which was eventually relocated and sanctioned an historical landmark by the State of Nevada.<ref>Goya, Lynn In a League of Their Own, Nevada Magazine. March 2009</ref>

===Silver Queen Lounge===
The Silver Queen Lounge was another performing venue at Sands, with nightly acts starting at 5 pm and running until 6 am.{{sfn|Schwartz|2013|p=93}} It was particularly popular with the emerging [[rock 'n' roll]] crowd. The Sands is where [[Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys]] performed the rock 'n' roll-song "[[Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog]]", seen by [[Elvis Presley]]. After Presley saw that performance at The Sands, he decided to record the song himself, and it became a hit for him. [[Roberta Linn]] and the [[Melodaires]] and [[Gene Vincent]] were also regular performers.{{Sfn|Farren|2004|p=56}}

==See also==
*[[Sands Macao]]
* {{portal-inline|Hotels}}

==Footnotes==
{{Notelist|30em}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

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*{{cite book|last=Sheehan|first=Jack|title=Las Vegas, southern Nevada: hometown living Las Vegas style : Las Vegas stories|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JTovHWaTwRAC|date=January 1, 1992|publisher=Pioneer Publications|isbn=978-1-881547-15-0}} 
*{{cite book|last=Sheehan|first=Jack|title=The Players: The Men who Made Las Vegas|url=https://archive.org/details/playersmenwhomad00shee|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/playersmenwhomad00shee/page/12 12]|year=1997|publisher=University of Nevada Press|isbn=978-0-87417-306-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Sheldon|first=Sidney|title=The Other Side of Me|url=https://archive.org/details/othersideofme00shel|url-access=registration|year=2005|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-00-716517-9}} 
*{{cite book|last=Sheridan|first=John Harris|title=Howard Hughes: The Las Vegas Years: The Women, the Mormons, the Mafia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5YHMr6LRpocC&pg=PA52|date=September 6, 2011|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=978-1-4634-0693-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Starr|first=Michael Seth|title=Bobby Darin: A Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IUYCMSnVH-oC&pg=PA52|date=March 2011|publisher=Taylor Trade Publications|isbn=978-1-58979-598-3}} 
*{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=William N.|title=Gambling in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Issues, and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QAI9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1|date=February 28, 2015|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-980-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Vermilye|first=Jerry|title=The Complete Films of Marlene Dietrich|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OBsIAQAAMAAJ|year=1992|publisher=Carol Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8065-1354-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Willems|first=Jos|title=All of Me: The Complete Discography of Louis Armstrong|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-W7YAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA245|date=April 30, 2006|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-1-4616-5622-7}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/a-brief-history-of-the-strip/2008/1/24/the-sands-hotel-history-the-place-in-the-sun.html History of Sands Hotel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230203818/http://classiclasvegas.squarespace.com/a-brief-history-of-the-strip/2008/1/24/the-sands-hotel-history-the-place-in-the-sun.html |date=2014-12-30 }}, Classiclasvegas.squarespace.com
* [http://gaming.unlv.edu/Xanadu/MartinStern.html 1967 Tower architect Martin Stern, Jr.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301144652/https://gaming.unlv.edu/Xanadu/MartinStern.html |date=2019-03-01 }} at gaming.unlv.edu
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDIzJx7GFQM Video of 1996 tower implosion]

{{Las Vegas casinos}}
{{Las Vegas hotels}}
{{Las Vegas skyscrapers}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Casinos completed in 1952]]
[[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1952]]
[[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1967]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1996]]
[[Category:1996 disestablishments in Nevada]]
[[Category:Former skyscraper hotels]]
[[Category:Defunct casino hotels in the Las Vegas Valley]]
[[Category:Defunct hotels in the Las Vegas Valley]]
[[Category:Skyscraper hotels in Paradise, Nevada]]
[[Category:Demolished hotels in Clark County, Nevada]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion]]
[[Category:Las Vegas Strip]]
[[Category:Resorts in the Las Vegas Valley]]
[[Category:Hotels established in 1952]]
[[Category:1952 establishments in Nevada]]
[[Category:Sheldon Adelson]]