Sands seeks to expand table games at new Bethlehem, Pa., casino

Las Vegas Sands Corp. is seeking permission to add blackjack and craps tables at its new casino in Bethlehem, Pa., Chairman Sheldon Adelson said today.

The company plans to spend $750 million on expansion, Adelson said at an event today marking the casino’s opening at the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. Adding table games would make the project easier to fund, he said.

Adelson suspended construction of a planned hotel, conference center and mall in November to speed completion of the casino and generate cash. That work will resume once the economy improves, Sands President Mike Leven said today.

Las Vegas Sands fell 23 cents to $9.73 at 1:34 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares surged 68 percent this year before today as business in Las Vegas, mired in its worst gambling slump on record, showed signs conditions are improving.

Discussions on adding table games are taking place in the Pennsylvania state Legislature, Gaming Control Board Chairman Gregory Fajt said at today’s event. Fajt said he expects an answer before the Legislature breaks in summer.

More than 60,000 gamblers visited the casino in its first three days, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said at the ceremony. Gamblers wagered $18 million on the first day, he said. The casino’s soft open was on May 22.

Sands Bethlehem’s opening created 1,000 jobs, the company said in a statement. Las Vegas Sands, based in Las Vegas, plans to open 2,000 more slot machines in late November, in addition to the planned 300-room hotel, 200,000 square feet of shopping and 50,000 feet of meeting space.