Did Sheldon Adelson secretly buy a major Las Vegas paper?

A Las Vegas newspaper was bought for $140 million last week, but the new owners have remained a secret from even the reporters employed there, sparking rumors that casino mogul Sheldon Adelson may be behind the mysterious deal.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the largest newspaper in Nevada, was formally bought by the Delaware-based News + Media Capital Group LLC, which was created two months ago, according to Mother Jones.

Only one figure from the group, Michael Schroeder, was identified. Schroeder described the new owners as “undisclosed financial backers with expertise in the media industry.”

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday said he suspects Adelson is behind the deal, according to Politico.

 

“We have a few rich people in Las Vegas, one of whom is well known, so we’ll see. And he owns newspapers in other places,” Reid said.

Adelson, who also owns the Israel Hayom tabloid — seen by many as a political mouthpiece for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — has not responded to requests for comment.

Adelson, who is Jewish and a supporter of several Jewish and pro-Israel groups, is a key mega-donor for Republican candidates in the US, and the owner of Las Vegas’s Venetian Hotel, where Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate was held.

Aside from being involved in presidential politics, Adelson is also waging a campaign against legalization of online gaming, which threaten his casino empire.

Speculation has run rampant that the owner of the paper may be seeking deeper political influence.

“One of the first thoughts I had was: Nevada is an early primary state. The Review-Journal is the largest newspaper in the state. Was it sold to a player in that event, or people who want to be players?” media critic and New York University professor Jay Rosen told the Review Journal. “That slightly conspiratorial thought may be way off base. Of course, there is no way to know as long as the ownership remains hidden. That’s the point.”

A number of candidates are gunning for Adelson’s backing, which could amount to tens of millions of dollars, and be key in challenging front-runner Donald Trump, whose own pockets run almost as deep.

According to reports in recent months, Adelson is said to be leaning toward supporting Florida Senator Marco Rubio, considered a foreign policy hawk whose views are close to the casino magnate.

But sources close to Adelson suggested he had not yet decided which candidate he would support.

In the last presidential election year, 2012, Adelson was said to have spent as much as $100 million supporting Republican candidates.