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Las Vegas Sands Inks Deal With Cantor Gaming To Launch Online Gaming Site To Serve UK Market

December 4, 2006

With the U.S. Congress, signing the "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act" or UIGEA on October 13, 2006, as part of a larger homeland security bill, gambling operators are seeking to expand into markets with less restrictive jurisdictions and increased liberalization. Casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp. is one such company looking towards the UK market to further establish its presence and interest there.

Monday, one of the affiliates of Las Vegas Sands inked a deal with Cantor Gaming, an affiliate of the global financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald, to launch an online casino and poker site initially aimed at serving the United Kingdom market. The site is anticipated to be launched during the second quarter of 2007.

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Cantor Gaming will provide a complete online casino and poker destination featuring Las Vegas Sands brands, including The Venetian, Sands, Palazzo, and Paiza brands.

Las Vegas Sands revealed that the online site to be launched will offer the most popular casino games, including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, video poker, slots and online poker. The site, which will be operated in compliance with the laws of Alderney, British Channel Islands will not accept U.S. customers. The recently passed legislation - UIGEA makes it illegal for banks to handle betting transactions to online gambling sites from the US residents.

The current deal marks the second partnership between Las Vegas Sands and Cantor Fitzgerald. Earlier in May, Las Vegas Sands' casino resort The Venetian, announced its plans to provide mobile gaming based upon Cantor technology.

Commenting on the deal, Bill Weidner, president and COO of Las Vegas Sands said, "As the internet gaming landscape continues to evolve this effort will put us in a strong position to evaluate and react to other potential opportunities."

Reports indicate that of the estimated $12 billion in annual revenue generated by online gambling in 2005, about 50% was contributed by American players. The online gaming industry lost $7 billion in market capitalization in one day after the Congress enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

LVS is currently up $2.63 trading at $93.3 on a volume of 729,900 shares

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