PROSPECTUS FILING
Filed pursuant to 424(b)(4)
Registration
Number 333-1 318 45
55,000,000 Shares
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Common Stock
All of the shares of common stock in the offering are being sold
by certain trusts established for the benefit of our principal
stockholder, who is also our chairman of the board and chief
executive officer, and his family. The Company will not receive
any of the proceeds from the shares of common stock sold by the
selling stockholders.
The common stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange under
the symbol LVS. The last reported sale price of our
common stock on March 13, 2006 was $51.25 per share.
See Risk Factors on page 14 to read about
factors you should consider before buying the shares of common
stock.
NEITHER THE NEVADA STATE GAMING CONTROL BOARD, THE NEVADA
GAMING COMMISSION NOR ANY OTHER GAMING REGULATORY AGENCY HAS
PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS OR THE
INVESTMENT MERITS OF THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREBY. ANY
REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS UNLAWFUL.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
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Per Share | |
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Total | |
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Public offering price
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$ |
50.2500 |
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$ |
2,763,750,000.00 |
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Underwriting discount
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$ |
1.1055 |
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$ |
60,802,500.00 |
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Proceeds, before expenses, to
selling stockholders
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$ |
49.1445 |
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$ |
2,702,947,500.00 |
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To the extent that the underwriters sell more than
55,000,000 shares of common stock, the underwriters have
the option to purchase up to an additional 8,250,000 shares
from the selling stockholders at the public offering price less
the underwriting discount.
The underwriters expect to deliver the shares against payment in
New York, New York on March 16, 2006.
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
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Citigroup |
Lehman Brothers Jefferies & Company |
Prospectus dated
March 13, 2006.
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights all material information contained
elsewhere in this prospectus and is qualified in its entirety by
the more detailed information and financial statements included
elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated herein by
reference. This summary is not complete and may not contain all
of the information that you should consider before investing in
our common stock. You should read the entire prospectus and the
documents incorporated herein by reference carefully, especially
the section describing the risks of investing in our common
stock under the caption Risk Factors and our
financial statements and related notes incorporated herein by
reference. Except as the context otherwise requires, references
in this prospectus to the Company, we,
our or us are to Las Vegas Sands Corp.
and its consolidated subsidiaries, and the term Las Vegas
Sands Opco refers to Las Vegas Sands, LLC, our operating
subsidiary. Unless otherwise indicated, the pro
forma information in this prospectus gives effect to the
transactions described in Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statement. Some of the statements
in this summary are forward-looking statements. For more
information, please see Disclosure Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements.
Our Company
Overview
We own and operate The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and The
Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and The
Sands Macao Casino in Macao, China. We are also in the process
of developing additional casino resorts and properties in Las
Vegas and Macao, including The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino,
which will be adjacent to and connected with The Venetian Resort
Hotel Casino, The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel Casino and other
casino resort properties on the Cotai
Striptm
in Macao. We are seeking gaming licenses to develop gaming
properties in Singapore, Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom. We
are also exploring other gaming entertainment opportunities in
Asia, Europe and the United States.
Our Las Vegas Properties
The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, which we refer to as The
Venetian, is one of the most successful properties on Las Vegas
Boulevard (known as the Strip) based on revenues
during the year ended December 31, 2005, and is one of the
largest and most luxurious casino resorts in the world. It is a
Renaissance Venice-themed casino resort situated at one of the
premier locations on the Strip, across from the Mirage and the
Treasure Island Hotel and Casino and next to the Wynn Las Vegas
Resort. Since its opening, The Venetian has been a
must-see destination that provides visitors with
first-class accommodations, gaming, entertainment, dining and
meeting facilities and shopping at the first all-suites hotel on
the Strip. The Venetian includes 4,027 suites and a gaming
facility of approximately 116,000 square feet consisting of
approximately 1,728 slot machines and 140 table games. The
Venetian also includes The Congress Center, a meeting and
conference facility which was recently expanded to approximately
1.1 million square feet. In addition, The Grand Canal Shops
mall located within The Venetian and owned by a third party
offers approximately 440,000 square feet of shopping,
dining and entertainment space. The Venetians average
occupancy rate (total occupied rooms divided by total available
rooms) was 97.3% during 2005, and our average daily room rate
was $225 during 2005.
The Venetian is directly connected to The Sands Expo and
Convention Center, which we refer to as The Sands Expo Center,
an approximately 1.15 million square foot convention and
trade show facility. Our combined Las Vegas facilities,
including The Congress Center and The Sands Expo Center, have
approximately 2.25 million gross square feet of meeting and
1
convention space. Our ability to attract and accommodate trade
show and convention business has been a key contributor to our
success. Management believes that The Venetian and The Sands
Expo Center together comprise one of the largest hotel and
meeting complexes in the world. This complex benefits from its
prime location in Las Vegas, which is one of the most visited
convention and trade show destinations in the United States.
During the year ended December 31, 2005, approximately
6.2 million visitors attended trade shows and conventions
in Las Vegas, with approximately 660,000 of these visitors
attending events at The Sands Expo Center. The demand for rooms
generated by visitors at our convention and trade show
facilities contributed to our mid-week occupancy rate (the
occupancy rate from Sunday night through Thursday night only) of
96.1% during 2005, which compares favorably to the Las Vegas
mid-week average occupancy rate of 86.6% during that period.
In August 2004, we began construction of The Palazzo Resort
Hotel Casino, which we refer to as The Palazzo, our second
world-class luxury hotel, casino and resort in Las Vegas. The
Palazzo will have a design and ambiance reminiscent of high-end
locales such as Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. The Palazzo will
consist of an all-suites 50-floor luxury hotel tower with
approximately 3,025 suites, a gaming facility of approximately
105,000 square feet with approximately 1,700 slot machines
and 100 table games, and an enclosed shopping, dining and
entertainment complex of approximately 450,000 square feet
which we refer to as the Phase II mall. We have contracted
to sell the Phase II mall to a third party at its
completion. The Palazzo is scheduled to open during the summer
of 2007.
The Las Vegas market has shown consistent growth over both the
near and long terms in both visitation and expenditures and has
one of the highest hotel occupancy rates of any major market in
the United States. According to the Las Vegas Convention and
Visitors Authority (the LVCVA), the number of
visitors traveling to Las Vegas has increased at a steady and
significant rate over the last 12 years, from
23.5 million visitors in 1993 to approximately
38.6 million visitors in 2005. According to the LVCVA, Las
Vegas has been among the most popular travel destinations in the
United States in recent years, with hotel occupancy rates among
the highest of any major market in the country. To accommodate
this popularity, Las Vegas has experienced a period of hotel
development, with the number of hotel and motel rooms in Las
Vegas increasing from 86,053 in 1993 to 133,186 in 2005 (a 3.7%
compound annual growth rate), according to the LVCVA. The
concentration of luxury and themed casino hotels and resorts is
expected to continue encouraging visitor interest in Las Vegas
as a trade show, convention and vacation destination and, as a
result, increase overall demand for hotel rooms, gaming and
entertainment. An increasing number of destination resorts are
developing non-gaming entertainment to complement their gaming
activities in order to draw additional visitors. According to
the LVCVA, gaming revenues in Clark County (which includes the
Las Vegas metropolitan area) have increased from approximately
$5.4 billion in 1994 to approximately $9.7 billion in
2005 (a 5.5% compound annual growth rate) and non-gaming tourist
revenues increased from $13.7 billion in 1994 to
$25.0 billion in 2004 (a 6.2% compound annual growth rate).
Our Macao Properties
Our subsidiary Venetian Macau S.A., or VML, holds a
government-approved subconcession to operate casinos in Macao, a
Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of
China. VML owns and operates The Sands Macao Casino, which we
refer to as The Sands Macao. The Sands Macao is the first Las
Vegas-style casino in Macao. Macao is regarded as one of the
largest and fastest growing gaming markets in the world and is
the only location in China that has legalized casino gaming.
Gaming revenue has grown from approximately $1.7 billion in
1999 to approximately $5.6 billion in 2005 as a result of
regional economic prosperity, the implementation of more liberal
socio-economic and tourism programs in China and the development
and opening of additional gaming venues in Macao. In 2005, there
were
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approximately 18.7 million visitors in Macao according to
the Macao Statistics and Census Service. We believe that Macao
will become a major vacation and convention destination in
addition to its existing position as a major gaming destination.
The Sands Macao is situated at one of the premier locations in
Macaos downtown gaming district, approximately
0.3 miles from the Macao-Hong Kong Ferry terminal, where
approximately 6.5 million visitors entered Macao in 2005.
Since its opening, The Sands Macao has been a
must-see local destination that provides visitors
with a unique Las Vegas-style experience including first-class
gaming, entertainment and dining facilities.
The Sands Macao opened in 2004 and initially consisted of
approximately 145,000 gross square feet of gaming
facilities. We have completed several expansions of The Sands
Macao since its opening. The Sands Macao now offers
approximately 172,000 square feet of gaming facilities,
with approximately 440 table games and approximately 930 slot
machines or similar electronic gaming devices, several
restaurants, VIP facilities (which we call The Paiza Club, and
which include private gaming rooms and 51 luxury suites ranging
from approximately 800 to 17,000 square feet for the
exclusive use of casino patrons), a theatre and other high-end
amenities. We are currently expanding The Sands Macao gaming
facilities so that The Sands Macao will have approximately
700 tables and 1,200 slot machines. The expansion is
expected to open in August 2006.
We began construction of The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel Casino,
which we refer to as The Venetian Macao, in November 2004 on the
Cotai Strip, an area of reclaimed land between the islands of
Taipa and Coloane in Macao. The Cotai Strip is approximately 5
to 10 minutes by car from downtown Macao. The Venetian Macao
will be a world-class casino complex with a Renaissance
Venetian-style theme similar to that of The Venetian in Las
Vegas. The Venetian Macao is expected to initially have
approximately 4,000 slot machines and 750 table games. The
Venetian Macao will also feature a 39-floor luxury hotel tower
of approximately 3,000 suites, an enclosed retail, dining
and entertainment complex of approximately 870,000 square
feet, which is expected to include high-end and mid-level
retailers and multiple signature restaurants, and a convention
center and meeting room complex of approximately
1.2 million square feet. The Venetian Macao is scheduled to
open in mid-2007.
In connection with the development of The Venetian Macao, we are
sponsoring a masterplan for the development of multiple
properties on the Cotai Strip designed to meet the demand
generated by the rapidly-growing Asian gaming market and attract
destination and convention visitors to Macao for multi-day
visits. We have submitted development plans to the Macao
government for six casino-resort developments in addition to The
Venetian Macao on an area of approximately 200 acres on the
Cotai Strip. The developments are expected to include hotels,
exhibition and conference facilities, casinos, showrooms,
shopping malls, spas, world-class restaurants and entertainment
facilities and other attractions, as well as common public
areas. We plan to own and operate all of the casinos in these
developments under our Macao gaming subconcession. The Venetian
Macao will serve as the anchor property at the corner of entry
to the Cotai Strip.
We intend to develop the Cotai Strip developments as follows:
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One of them is intended to be a Four Seasons hotel and casino
which will be adjacent to The Venetian Macao and is expected to
be a boutique hotel with 400 luxury hotel rooms, up to 600 Four
Seasons-serviced vacation suites, distinctive dining
experiences, full service spas and other amenities, a 25,000
square foot casino and a 190,000 square foot mall with upscale
retail offerings. We will own the hotel and vacation suites. We
have entered into an exclusive non-binding letter of intent and
are currently negotiating definitive agreements under which Four
Seasons Hotels Inc. will manage the hotel and |
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vacation suites. The completion of The Venetian Macao and the
Four Seasons is not dependent upon the Macao governments
overall approval of our Cotai Strip master development plan. |
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One of them is intended to include a two-hotel complex with
1,500 luxury and mid-sized hotel rooms, luxury vacation
suites and a casino. We will own the entire development and we
have entered into a management agreement with Shangri-La Hotels
and Resorts to manage the hotels and vacation suites under its
Shangri-La and Traders brands. |
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One of them is intended to include a two-hotel complex with
luxury and mid-sized hotel rooms, luxury vacation suites and a
casino. We will own the entire development and are negotiating
with Starwood Hotel and Resorts to manage the hotels and
vacation suites under its brands. |
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We expect to develop and own two other Cotai Strip developments,
each of which is intended to include a two-hotel complex with
luxury and mid-sized hotel rooms, luxury vacation suites and a
casino. We will own the entire development and are in
discussions with experienced and well-known hotel management
companies to manage the hotel portions of these resorts for us
under their brands. |
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We have signed a non-binding memorandum of agreement with an
independent developer for another Cotai Strip development. We
are currently negotiating definitive agreements pursuant to
which we plan to partner with this developer to build a
multi-hotel complex under several hotel brands. |
We do not yet have all the Macao government approvals that we
will need in order to develop the Cotai Strip developments.
Other Development Projects
Our operations in Las Vegas and Macao provide us with a platform
for further growth of our domestic and international gaming
operations.
Following the Singapore governments adoption of gaming
legislation in 2005, we submitted a proposal to the Singapore
government for a license to develop a large integrated resort,
including a casino, in Singapore. There are currently three
competing proposals for this resort/casino license. The
Singapore government is expected to award this license in
mid-2006.
We have entered into a non-binding agreement with the Zhuhai
Municipal Peoples Government of the Peoples Republic
of China to work with it to create a master plan for, and
develop, a leisure and convention destination resort on Hengqin
Island, located approximately one mile from the Cotai Strip. We
are actively preparing preliminary design concepts for
presentation to the government. This development is subject to a
number of conditions, including receiving further governmental
approvals.
On December 3, 2004, following the enactment of legislation
legalizing slot machine gaming in Pennsylvania, we entered into
a contribution agreement with Bethworks Now, LLC, the owner of
an approximately 124 acre site located in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania. We have submitted a proposal to obtain one of two
at large gaming licenses available in Pennsylvania.
There are several competing proposals for these licenses. If a
slot machine license under the new legislation is granted for
the site, we intend to jointly own and develop the property for
use as a casino complex including a hotel with meeting rooms and
retail, restaurant, movie theater, office and other commercial
spaces. The Bethlehem development is subject to a number of
conditions, including obtaining the gaming license.
We have also entered into agreements to develop and lease gaming
and entertainment facilities with two prominent football clubs
in the United Kingdom and are in discussions with several others
to build entertainment and gaming facilities in major cities in
the United Kingdom.
4
There are several competing proposals for the single
regional casino license currently authorized by
statute. Our agreements to develop and lease gaming and
entertainment facilities are subject to a number of conditions,
including passage of legislation to expand the number of
authorized regional casinos and obtaining a gaming license.
We are currently exploring the possibility of operating casino
resorts in additional Asian jurisdictions, the United States and
Europe.
Business Strategy and Competitive Strengths
Our primary business objective is to become the leading
worldwide operator of premium destination resorts with
significant casino components and uniquely branded gaming
entertainment properties in order to drive superior returns on
invested capital, increase asset value and maximize value for
our stockholders. We have developed distinct but interrelated
strategies for our Las Vegas operations and our global expansion
plan.
Las Vegas Strategy
Our Las Vegas strategy is to create a unique, world-class,
must-see destination resort complex that caters to
premium clientele and effectively leverages our
convention-driven business model. To implement this strategy, we
intend to:
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expand on our operation of uniquely-themed must-see
destination resort facilities that are strategically located at
the heart of the Strip; |
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drive recurring, predictable high hotel occupancy and casino use
rates, especially during mid-week periods, through events held
at our convention facilities which also generate significant
non-hotel traffic during these periods; |
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capture superior hotel room rates through a differentiated
all-suites offering of first-class services and high-end resort
facilities. In 2005, The Venetians average daily room rate
was approximately $225 compared to approximately $103 for Las
Vegas during this period, according to the LVCVA; |
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target higher-budget customers who drive incremental revenues
through a unique offering of exceptional hospitality, restaurant
shopping and gaming facilities; |
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attract world-famous chefs, prestigious art institutions,
premium retailers and first-class leisure facilities at our
casino resort facilities and leverage the international
recognition of these brands to promote our own Venetian and
Palazzo brands; |
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develop Asian-focused offerings to meet the expectations of
high-end Asian customers whom we expect will represent an
increasing percentage of premium gaming customers as Asian
gaming markets grow and our Macao operations expand; and |
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capture operating efficiencies through the development and
management of three interconnected facilities, The Venetian, The
Sands Expo Center and The Palazzo, which were designed to
complement each other and form the largest integrated hotel and
convention facility in the world. |
Global Expansion Strategy
Our global expansion strategy is to aggressively pursue
development opportunities in gaming markets worldwide with
attractive growth prospects. To implement this strategy, we
intend to:
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showcase our successful Las Vegas properties to position
ourselves as a casino developer and operator of choice and win
new development opportunities in jurisdictions |
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that are turning to large-scale casino resorts projects as
catalysts for economic expansion; |
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take full advantage of our first mover status in
Macao to fine-tune the appeal of our offerings to the Asian
mass-market and our marketing methods in support of further
development in the region and to expand into our other core
competencies, such as convention-driven hotels, leisure travel
and retail offerings; |
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leverage Macaos position as the only legalized gaming
locale in China, its proximity to densely populated, wealthy and
rapidly developing regions and its growth as a tourist
destination for Chinas burgeoning middle class; |
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position The Sands Macao as a day-trip mass-market product and
The Venetian Macao and the Cotai Strip resorts as destination
resorts that promote multi-day visits; |
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deliver the Las Vegas experience to the Asian marketplace to
satisfy the largely untapped high demand for Las Vegas-style
gaming facilities with high-end suites and premium amenities in
the region; |
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develop retail offerings to tap into the expected growth of the
retail market in Macao, which we believe will benefit from
Macaos status as a luxury-tax exempt region and the
anticipated increase in the length of visits to Macao; |
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actively develop and sell non-core real estate assets, including
vacation suites and retail malls, reducing our net invested
capital and enhancing returns on our remaining core assets; |
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aggressively pursue development opportunities in other gaming
markets with attractive growth prospects, including Singapore
and the United Kingdom; and |
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extend our premium Sands, Venetian,
Palazzo and Paiza brands worldwide and
cross-market our Las Vegas offerings as international
opportunities arise. |
Competitive Risks
As further described in Risk Factors beginning on
page 14 of this prospectus, we operate in a highly
competitive industry that is particularly sensitive to consumer
spending, economic downturns, terrorist acts and outbreaks of
infectious diseases. Various competitors on the Strip are
expanding their facilities and demand may not keep up with these
increases. Planned construction projects for The Palazzo, The
Venetian Macao and other Cotai Strip developments are subject to
substantial risks, including risks of delays or cost overruns
and the risk that we may not be able to secure all the financing
required to complete these projects. In addition, our
international operations are subject to certain political and
economic risks. We must complete certain projects in Macao by
agreed-upon deadlines for which we need to obtain an extension
or we may lose the right to operate The Sands Macao and our
other Macao properties. Competition in Macao is intense and is
expected to intensify as the other concessionaires and
subconcessionaires open new properties and could intensify
further if additional gaming concessions and subconcessions are
granted by the Macao government.
Experienced Management Team
Our senior management team has an average of approximately
30 years of experience in the hotel, gaming and convention
industries. The team is significantly incentivized through its
ownership in our company. We also have a large and experienced
in-house development and construction staff which is responsible
for overseeing our numerous construction projects.
6
Recent Developments
Macao Financing
The Sands Macao expansion is expected to cost us approximately
$99.0 million and is expected to open in August 2006. The
Venetian Macao is expected to cost us approximately
$2.3 billion (exclusive of land) and is expected to be
completed in the summer of 2007. We have not yet finalized our
estimate of the cost of the other Cotai Strip developments. VML
is finalizing commitments for a $2.5 billion senior secured
credit facility, which is expected to consist of a
$1.2 billion funded term loan, a $700 million delayed
draw term loan, a $100 million local currency term loan and
a $500 million revolving credit facility. The proceeds of
the senior secured credit facility will be used to partially
fund The Sands Macao expansion and the design, development,
construction and pre-opening costs for The Venetian Macao, the
Four Seasons hotel and our other development projects on the
Cotai Strip, and to pay related fees and expenses. The senior
secured credit facility is expected to close in the first
quarter of 2006 and will be subject to satisfactory
documentation and other customary conditions.
Corporate and Ownership Structure
Our principal executive office is located at 3355 Las Vegas
Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. Our telephone number
at that address is (702) 414-1000. Our web site address is
www.lasvegassands.com. The information on our web site is
not part of this prospectus.
Sheldon G. Adelson and trusts for the benefit of
Mr. Adelson and/or his family members will beneficially own
approximately 70.4% of our outstanding common stock after the
consummation of this offering (excluding options and assuming
the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase an
additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock). Accordingly,
Mr. Adelson exercises significant influence over our
business policies and affairs, including the composition of our
board of directors and any action requiring the approval of our
stockholders, such as the adoption of amendments to our articles
of incorporation and the approval of a merger or sale of
substantially all of our assets.
Las Vegas Sands Opcos subsidiary owns 90% of the capital
stock and 100% of the economic interest in VML, the owner and
operator of The Sands Macao and the developer of certain Cotai
Strip projects. VML owns, directly or indirectly through its
wholly-owned subsidiaries, 100% of the capital stock of Venetian
Cotai S.A., the owner of The Venetian Macao and the Four Seasons
hotel and the developer of certain other Cotai Strip projects.
Under the requirements of applicable Macao law, two individuals
own 10% and 0.005%, respectively, of the capital stock of VML.
However, each of them has assigned all of his respective
economic interest in the shares to Las Vegas Sands Opcos
subsidiary.
Set forth on the following page is our ownership structure
showing our stock ownership following the consummation of this
offering, and our principal subsidiaries.
7
8
Summary of the Offer
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Common stock offered by the selling stockholders |
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55,000,000 shares. |
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Common stock outstanding as of February 24, 2006 |
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354,303,160 shares. |
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New York Stock Exchange
symbol |
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LVS. |
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Use of proceeds |
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We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the
selling stockholders. All of the shares in the offering are
being sold by trusts established for the benefit of our
principal stockholder, who is also our chairman of the board and
chief executive officer, and his family. See Principal and
Selling Stockholders. |
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Dividends |
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We do not expect to pay cash dividends on our common stock in
the foreseeable future. Our board of directors will determine
whether to pay dividends in the future based on conditions then
existing, including our earnings, financial condition and
capital requirements, as well as economic and other conditions
our board may deem relevant, including provisions in our
subsidiaries debt instruments restricting their ability to
distribute dividends to us. |
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Risk Factors |
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Investing in our common stock involves substantial risks. You
should carefully read and consider the information set forth
under Risk Factors and all other information set
forth or incorporated by reference in this prospectus before
investing in our common stock. |
Unless we specifically state otherwise, the information in this
prospectus:
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assumes that the underwriters will not exercise the option to
purchase an additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock
granted to them by the selling stockholders; and |
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excludes from the number of shares of common stock outstanding
3,921,419 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise
of stock options outstanding as of February 24, 2006. |
9
Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Other Data
The historical statement of operations and other financial data
of Las Vegas Sands Corp. for the years ended December 31,
2003, 2004 and 2005 are derived from, and are qualified by
reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements
incorporated by reference in this prospectus from our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2005. The unaudited pro forma
statement of operations data of Las Vegas Sands Corp. are
derived from the unaudited condensed consolidated pro forma
financial statement included in this prospectus and give effect
to the transactions described under Unaudited Pro Forma
Condensed Consolidated Financial Statement. The other
operating data for all periods presented have been derived from
our internal records. The following information should be read
in conjunction with our Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statement included in this
prospectus and our Managements Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,
our historical consolidated financial statements, the related
notes and other financial information incorporated herein by
reference.
Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Other Data
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Pro Forma | |
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Year Ended | |
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Year Ended December 31, | |
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December 31, | |
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2003 | |
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2004 | |
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2005 | |
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2005 | |
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(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) | |
Statement of Operations
Data:
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Revenues
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Casino
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$ |
272,804 |
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$ |
708,564 |
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$ |
1,250,090 |
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$ |
1,250,090 |
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Rooms
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|
|
251,397 |
|
|
|
312,003 |
|
|
|
323,560 |
|
|
|
323,560 |
|
|
Food and beverage
|
|
|
80,207 |
|
|
|
121,566 |
|
|
|
147,510 |
|
|
|
147,510 |
|
|
Retail and other
|
|
|
132,202 |
|
|
|
116,437 |
|
|
|
103,065 |
|
|
|
103,065 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
736,610 |
|
|
|
1,258,570 |
|
|
|
1,824,225 |
|
|
|
1,824,225 |
|
|
Less promotional
allowances
|
|
|
(44,856 |
) |
|
|
(61,514 |
) |
|
|
(83,313 |
) |
|
|
(83,313 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
|
691,754 |
|
|
|
1,197,056 |
|
|
|
1,740,912 |
|
|
|
1,740,912 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casino
|
|
|
128,170 |
|
|
|
340,241 |
|
|
|
656,590 |
|
|
|
656,590 |
|
|
Rooms
|
|
|
64,819 |
|
|
|
77,249 |
|
|
|
82,058 |
|
|
|
82,058 |
|
|
Food and beverage
|
|
|
40,177 |
|
|
|
64,176 |
|
|
|
76,736 |
|
|
|
76,736 |
|
|
Retail and other
|
|
|
53,556 |
|
|
|
60,055 |
|
|
|
58,068 |
|
|
|
58,068 |
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
|
|
8,084 |
|
|
|
7,959 |
|
|
|
9,358 |
|
|
|
9,358 |
|
|
General and administrative
|
|
|
126,134 |
|
|
|
173,088 |
|
|
|
192,806 |
|
|
|
192,806 |
|
|
Corporate expense
|
|
|
10,176 |
|
|
|
126,356 |
|
|
|
38,297 |
|
|
|
38,297 |
|
|
Rental expense
|
|
|
10,128 |
|
|
|
12,033 |
|
|
|
14,841 |
|
|
|
14,841 |
|
|
Pre-opening expense
|
|
|
10,525 |
|
|
|
19,025 |
|
|
|
3,732 |
|
|
|
3,732 |
|
|
Development expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,901 |
|
|
|
22,238 |
|
|
|
22,238 |
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
53,859 |
|
|
|
69,432 |
|
|
|
95,296 |
|
|
|
95,296 |
|
|
Loss on disposal of assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31,649 |
|
|
|
1,441 |
|
|
|
1,441 |
|
|
Gain on sale of The Grand Canal
Shops mall
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(417,576 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
505,628 |
|
|
|
578,588 |
|
|
|
1,251,461 |
|
|
|
1,251,461 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
186,126 |
|
|
|
618,468 |
|
|
|
489,451 |
|
|
|
489,451 |
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
2,125 |
|
|
|
7,740 |
|
|
|
33,111 |
|
|
|
32,227 |
|
|
Interest expense, net of amounts
capitalized
|
|
|
(122,442 |
) |
|
|
(138,077 |
) |
|
|
(96,292 |
) |
|
|
(85,331 |
) |
|
Other income (expense)
|
|
|
825 |
|
|
|
(131 |
) |
|
|
(1,334 |
) |
|
|
(1,334 |
) |
|
Loss on early retirement of debt(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(6,553 |
) |
|
|
(137,000 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income before income taxes
|
|
|
66,634 |
|
|
|
481,447 |
|
|
|
287,936 |
|
|
|
435,013 |
|
|
Benefit (provision) for income taxes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13,736 |
|
|
|
(4,250 |
) |
|
|
(53,222 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
$ |
66,634 |
|
|
$ |
495,183 |
|
|
$ |
283,686 |
|
|
$ |
381,791 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pro Forma | |
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) | |
Per Share Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic earnings per share(2)
|
|
$ |
0.21 |
|
|
$ |
1.52 |
|
|
$ |
0.80 |
|
|
$ |
1.08 |
|
|
Diluted earnings per share(2)
|
|
$ |
0.20 |
|
|
$ |
1.52 |
|
|
$ |
0.80 |
|
|
$ |
1.08 |
|
|
Dividends declared per share
|
|
$ |
0.01 |
|
|
$ |
0.44 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average shares outstanding
(basic)(2)
|
|
|
324,658,394 |
|
|
|
326,486,740 |
|
|
|
354,161,165 |
|
|
|
354,161,165 |
|
|
Weighted average shares outstanding
(diluted)(2)
|
|
|
325,190,459 |
|
|
|
326,848,911 |
|
|
|
354,526,604 |
|
|
|
354,526,604 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of December 31, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
(In thousands) | |
Balance Sheet Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$ |
456,846 |
|
|
Restricted cash and cash equivalents
|
|
$ |
642,860 |
|
|
Total assets
|
|
$ |
3,879,739 |
|
|
Total debt
|
|
$ |
1,633,226 |
|
|
Stockholders equity
|
|
$ |
1,609,538 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pro Forma | |
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(Dollars in thousands, except operating data) | |
Other Financial Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by operating
activities
|
|
$ |
137,116 |
|
|
$ |
373,369 |
|
|
$ |
589,916 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in investing
activities
|
|
$ |
(298,326 |
) |
|
$ |
(51,650 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,126,007 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash provided by (used in)
financing activities
|
|
$ |
207,520 |
|
|
$ |
820,386 |
|
|
$ |
(302,718 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Capital expenditures
|
|
$ |
279,948 |
|
|
$ |
465,748 |
|
|
$ |
860,621 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA(3)
|
|
$ |
240,810 |
|
|
$ |
681,216 |
|
|
$ |
446,413 |
|
|
$ |
583,413 |
|
Other Las Vegas Properties
Operating Data(4):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Occupancy(5)
|
|
|
96.0 |
% |
|
|
97.0 |
% |
|
|
97.3 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Average daily room rate(6)
|
|
$ |
204 |
|
|
$ |
220 |
|
|
$ |
225 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue per available room(7)
|
|
$ |
195 |
|
|
$ |
213 |
|
|
$ |
218 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average number of table games(8)
|
|
|
126 |
|
|
|
135 |
|
|
|
137 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Table games drop per unit per day(9)
|
|
$ |
17,969 |
|
|
$ |
20,776 |
|
|
$ |
23,713 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average number of slot machines(10)
|
|
|
1,995 |
|
|
|
2,001 |
|
|
|
1,728 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Slot machine win per unit per
day(11)
|
|
$ |
165 |
|
|
$ |
191 |
|
|
$ |
188 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of The Sands Expo Center
visitors per day(12)
|
|
|
7,709 |
|
|
|
5,617 |
|
|
|
4,123 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of show days at The Sands
Expo Center(12)
|
|
|
116 |
|
|
|
143 |
|
|
|
160 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
(In thousands) | |
Sands Macao Property
Data(13)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
$ |
296,391 |
|
|
EBITDA(14)
|
|
$ |
324,828 |
|
|
Aggregate table games drop
|
|
$ |
4,864,531 |
|
11
|
|
(1) |
In April 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board
(FASB) issued Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 145 (SFAS 145)
Rescission of FASB Statements Nos. 4, 44 and 64 and
Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13. SFAS 145
addresses the presentation for losses on early retirements of
debt in the statement of operations to the extent they do not
meet the requirements of Accounting Principles Board Opinion
No. 30. We have adopted SFAS 145 and no longer present
losses on early retirements of debt as an extraordinary item. |
|
(2) |
Earnings per share and shares outstanding for all periods
presented retroactively reflect the impact of our 2004
pre-initial public offering stock split. The 2004 acquisition of
Interface Group Holdings Inc. from our principal stockholder
increased the number of shares of common stock outstanding to
326,188,348. Our 2004 initial public offering and stock option
exercises increased the number of shares of common stock
outstanding by 28,910,907 shares to 354,160,692. |
|
(3) |
EBITDA consists of net income before interest, taxes,
depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is a supplemental non-GAAP
financial measure used by management, as well as industry
analysts, to evaluate operations. In particular, management
utilizes EBITDA to compare the operating profitability of its
casino operations with those of its competitors. We are also
presenting EBITDA because it is used by some investors as a way
to measure a companys ability to incur and service debt,
make capital expenditures and meet working capital requirements.
Gaming companies have historically reported EBITDA as a
supplemental performance measure to GAAP financial measures.
When evaluating EBITDA, investors should consider, among other
factors, (1) increasing or decreasing trends in EBITDA and
(2) how EBITDA compares to levels of debt and interest expense.
However, EBITDA should not be interpreted as an alternative to
income from operations (as an indicator of operating
performance) or to cash flows from operations (as a measure of
liquidity) as determined in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles. We have significant uses of cash flow,
including capital expenditures, interest payments and debt
principal repayments, which are not reflected in EBITDA. Not all
companies calculate EBITDA in the same manner. As a result,
EBITDA as presented by us may not be comparable to similarly
titled measures presented by other companies. |
The following is a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pro Forma | |
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
Year Ended December 31, | |
|
December 31, | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Net income
|
|
$ |
66,634 |
|
|
$ |
495,183 |
(a) |
|
$ |
283,686 |
(c) |
|
$ |
381,791 |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
(2,125 |
) |
|
|
(7,740 |
) |
|
|
(33,111 |
) |
|
|
(32,227 |
) |
Interest expense, net of amounts
capitalized
|
|
|
122,442 |
|
|
|
138,077 |
|
|
|
96,292 |
|
|
|
85,331 |
|
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(13,736 |
) |
|
|
4,250 |
|
|
|
53,222 |
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
53,859 |
|
|
|
69,432 |
|
|
|
95,296 |
|
|
|
95,296 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
|
|
$ |
240,810 |
|
|
$ |
681,216 |
(b) |
|
$ |
446,413 |
|
|
$ |
583,413 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
Includes the impact of the $417.6 million gain on the sale
of The Grand Canal Shops mall. |
|
|
(b) |
Includes in corporate expense the impact of incentive payments
of $63.2 million related to arranging for the sale of the
Phase II mall that were made to certain of our executives
in July 2004 and a $49.2 million stock-based compensation
charge in the third quarter of 2004. Included in loss on
disposal of assets is a $30.6 million loss accrued in the
third quarter of 2004. These charges did not occur again in the
same magnitude during the year ended December 31, 2005 and
are not expected to occur again in the same magnitude in the
near future. |
|
|
(c) |
Includes the impact of the $137.0 million loss on early
retirement of debt. |
|
|
|
|
(4) |
Operating data represents the average for the respective periods. |
|
|
(5) |
Occupancy represents the percentage of total occupied rooms to
total available rooms. An occupied room is a rented room for one
night. Available rooms represents the number of total rooms less
off-the-market rooms
and out-of-order rooms.
On average, during 2004, 40 rooms per day (1,223 rooms
per month) were
off-the-market and 0
rooms per day (0 rooms per month) were |
12
|
|
|
|
|
out-of-order,
and during 2005 28 rooms per day (866 rooms per month)
were off-the-market and
0 rooms per day (1 room per month) were
out-of-order. Total
occupancy uses this formula for every day in a period cited
while mid-week occupancy period uses the same formula described
above for the period Sunday night through Thursday night for the
total period cited.
|
|
|
(6) |
Average daily room rate is total
room revenue divided by total occupied rooms.
|
|
|
(7) |
Revenue per available room is total
room revenue divided by total available rooms.
|
|
|
(8) |
Average number of table games
represents the number of table games on the casino floor each
day divided by the number of days.
|
|
|
(9) |
Table games drop per unit per day
represents the total table games drop divided by average number
of tables divided by number of days. Table games drop represents
the sum of markers issued (credit instruments) less markers
repaid at the table by customers, plus cash deposited in the
table drop box.
|
|
|
(10) |
Average number of slot machines represents the number of slot
machines on the casino floor each day divided by the number of
days. |
|
(11) |
Slot machine win per unit per day represents the daily average
of slot machine win divided by the number of slot machines in
service. Win is the excess of the amount of money deposited by
the player into the slot machine over the amount of money paid
out of the slot machine to the player and is recorded by us as
revenue. |
|
(12) |
This data is based on actual days during which a convention
trade show or similar event is ongoing at The Sands Expo Center.
This data excludes move-in and move-out days. |
|
(13) |
Reflects operations of The Sands Macao for the year ended
December 31, 2005. |
|
(14) |
The following is a reconciliation of The Sands Macao net income
to EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2005 (in
thousands): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
Net income
|
|
$ |
296,391 |
|
Interest income
|
|
|
(1,843 |
) |
Interest expense, net
|
|
|
4,745 |
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
25,535 |
|
|
|
|
|
EBITDA
|
|
$ |
324,828 |
|
|
|
|
|
13
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock involves risks. You should
consider carefully the following information about these risks,
together with the other information contained or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus, before buying shares of our common
stock. Any of the risk factors we describe below could adversely
affect our business, financial condition, results of operations
or cash flows. The market price of our common stock could
decline if one or more of these risks and uncertainties develop
into actual events. You may lose all or part of the money you
pay to buy our common stock. Some of the statements in
Risk Factors are forward-looking statements. For
more information about forward-looking statements, please see
Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our business is particularly sensitive to reductions in
discretionary consumer spending as a result of downturns in the
economy.
Consumer demand for hotel casino resorts, trade shows and
conventions and for the type of luxury amenities we offer is
particularly sensitive to downturns in the economy. Changes in
consumer preferences or discretionary consumer spending brought
about by factors such as fears of war, future acts of terrorism,
general economic conditions, disposable consumer income, fears
of recession and changes in consumer confidence in the economy
could reduce customer demand for the luxury products and leisure
services we offer, thus imposing practical limits on pricing and
harming our operations.
Our business is sensitive to the willingness of our
customers to travel. Acts of terrorism and developments in the
conflict in Iraq could cause severe disruptions in air travel
that reduce the number of visitors to our facilities, resulting
in a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results
of operations or cash flows.
We are dependent on the willingness of our customers to travel.
A substantial number of our customers for The Venetian use air
travel to come to Las Vegas. On September 11, 2001, acts of
terrorism occurred in New York City, Pennsylvania and
Washington, D.C. As a result of these terrorist acts,
domestic and international travel was severely disrupted, which
resulted in a decrease in customer visits to Las Vegas,
including to The Venetian and The Sands Expo Center. In
addition, developments in the conflict in Iraq could have a
similar effect on domestic and international travel. Most of our
customers travel to reach either The Venetian or The Sands
Macao. Only a small amount of our business is generated by local
residents. Management cannot predict the extent to which
disruptions in air or other forms of travel as a result of any
further terrorist act, outbreak of hostilities or escalation of
war would adversely affect our financial condition, results of
operations or cash flows.
An outbreak of highly infectious disease could adversely
affect the number of visitors to our facilities and disrupt our
operations, resulting in a material adverse effect on our
financial condition, results of operations and cash
flows.
In 2003, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and certain other
regions experienced an outbreak of a new and highly contagious
form of atypical pneumonia now known as severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS). As a result of the outbreak, there
was a decrease in travel to and from, and economic activity in,
affected regions, including Macao. In addition, there have been
recent fears concerning the spread of an avian flu
in Asia. Potential future outbreaks of SARS, avian flu or other
highly infectious diseases may adversely affect the number of
visitors to The Sands Macao, The Venetian, The Sands Expo Center
and other properties we are developing in Las Vegas or Macao and
our business and prospects. Furthermore, an outbreak might
disrupt our ability to adequately staff our business and could
generally disrupt our
14
operations. If any of our customers or employees is suspected of
having contracted certain highly contagious diseases, we may be
required to quarantine these customers or employees or the
affected areas of our facilities and temporarily suspend part or
all of our operations at affected facilities. Any new outbreak
of such a highly infectious disease could have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations
and cash flows.
There are significant risks associated with our planned
construction projects, which could adversely affect our
financial condition, results of operations or cash flows from
these planned facilities.
Our ongoing and future construction projects, such as The
Palazzo and The Venetian Macao, entail significant risks.
Construction activity requires us to obtain qualified
contractors and subcontractors, the availability of which may be
uncertain. Construction projects are subject to cost overruns
and delays caused by events outside of our control or, in
certain cases, our contractors control, such as shortages
of materials or skilled labor, unforeseen engineering,
environmental and /or geological problems, work stoppages,
weather interference, unanticipated cost increases and
unavailability of construction materials or equipment.
Construction, equipment or staffing problems or difficulties in
obtaining any of the requisite materials, licenses, permits,
allocations and authorizations from governmental or regulatory
authorities could increase the total cost, delay, jeopardize or
prevent the construction or opening of such projects or
otherwise affect the design and features of The Palazzo and The
Venetian Macao or other projects.
We have not entered into a fixed-price or guaranteed maximum
price contract with a single construction manager or general
contractor for the construction of The Palazzo or The Venetian
Macao. As a result, we will rely heavily on our in-house
development and construction team to manage construction costs
and coordinate the work of the various trade contractors. The
lack of any fixed-price contract with a construction manager or
general contractor will put more of the risk of cost-overruns on
us. If we are unable to manage costs or we are unable to raise
additional capital required to complete The Palazzo or The
Venetian Macao, we may not be able to open or complete these
projects, which may have an adverse impact on our business and
prospects for growth.
The anticipated costs and completion dates for The Palazzo and
The Venetian Macao are based on budgets, designs, development
and construction documents and schedule estimates that we have
prepared with the assistance of architects and that are subject
to change as the design, development and construction documents
are finalized and more actual construction work is performed. A
failure to complete The Palazzo or The Venetian Macao on budget
or on schedule may adversely affect our financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows. See Risks
Associated with Our International Operations We are
required to build and open The Venetian Macao and a convention
center by December 2007. Unless we meet this deadline or obtain
an extension, we may lose our right to continue to operate The
Sands Macao or any other facilities developed under the
subconcession.
We are finalizing commitments for a $2.5 billion facility
for the partial financing of The Sands Macao expansion, The
Venetian Macao and our other Cotai Strip developments, but we do
not yet have any commitments for that financing. A significant
portion of The Sands Macaos cash flows will also be used
to finance the construction of The Venetian Macao. If The Sands
Macaos cash flows are not sufficient, or if this
contemplated credit facility is not obtained, additional equity
or debt financings may be needed to finance the remainder of the
construction of The Venetian Macao.
In addition, this credit facility will not cover all of the
costs of our other Cotai Strip developments. We have not yet
finalized our plans for all our Cotai Strip developments or our
estimate of the costs of all these developments. We expect that
the construction of the other Cotai Strip developments will
require significant additional debt and/or equity financings.
15
Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will obtain all the
financing required for the construction and opening of The Sands
Macao expansion, The Venetian Macao or our other Cotai Strip
developments.
In addition, the debt agreements into which Las Vegas Sands Opco
and its subsidiaries have entered to fund the construction of
The Palazzo contain significant conditions that must be
satisfied in order for Las Vegas Sands Opco and its subsidiaries
to be able to use the proceeds available under these facilities,
including:
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having sufficient funds available so that construction costs of
The Palazzo are in balance for purposes of the debt
instruments; |
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obtaining various consents and other agreements from third
parties, including trade contractors; and |
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other customary conditions. |
The failure to obtain the necessary financing, or satisfy these
funding conditions, could adversely affect our ability to
construct The Palazzo, The Venetian Macao and our other planned
Cotai Strip developments.
Because we are currently dependent upon three properties
in two markets for all of our cash flow, we will be subject to
greater risks than a gaming company with more operating
properties or that operates in more markets.
We currently do not have material assets or operations other
than The Venetian, The Sands Expo Center and The Sands Macao. As
a result, we will be entirely dependent upon these properties
for all of our cash flow until we complete the development of
other properties.
Given that our operations are currently conducted at two
properties in Las Vegas and one property in Macao and that a
large portion of our planned future development is in Las Vegas
and Macao, we will be subject to greater degrees of risk than a
gaming company with more operating properties in more markets.
The risks to which we will have a greater degree of exposure
include the following:
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local economic and competitive conditions; |
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inaccessibility due to inclement weather, road construction or
closure of primary access routes; |
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decline in air passenger traffic due to higher ticket costs or
fears concerning air travel; |
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changes in local and state governmental laws and regulations,
including gaming laws and regulations; |
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natural and other disasters, including the risk of typhoons in
the South China region or outbreaks of infectious diseases; |
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an increase in the cost of electrical power for The Venetian and
The Sands Expo Center as a result of, among other things, power
shortages in California or other western states with which
Nevada shares a single regional power grid; and |
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a decline in the number of visitors to Las Vegas or Macao. |
Our substantial debt could impair our financial
condition.
We are highly leveraged and have substantial debt service
obligations. As of December 31, 2005, on a pro forma basis
assuming all of the $250.0 million Phase II mall
construction loan had been fully drawn, we would have had
approximately $1.85 billion of indebtedness outstanding. In
addition, as of December 31, 2005, we had approximately
$369.0 million of available borrowings
16
under the $450.0 million revolving credit facility of Las
Vegas Sands Opcos amended and restated senior secured
credit facility. We expect to incur $2.5 billion of
additional debt under a new credit facility for the partial
funding of The Sands Macao expansion and the construction of The
Venetian Macao and our other Cotai Strip developments. Because a
portion of The Sands Macaos cash flows is also expected to
be used to finance the construction of The Venetian Macao, we
may need to incur additional debt to finance The Venetian Macao
if The Sands Macaos cash flows are not sufficient. In
addition, we also expect that our other Cotai Strip developments
will be financed in large part by additional debt. See
There are significant risks associated with
our planned construction projects, which could adversely affect
our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows
from these planned facilities.
This substantial indebtedness could have important consequences
to us. For example, it could:
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make it more difficult for us to satisfy our debt obligations; |
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increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and
industry conditions; |
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impair our ability to obtain additional financing in the future
for working capital needs, capital expenditures, development
projects, acquisitions or general corporate purposes; |
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require us to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flow
from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our
debt, which would reduce the funds available for our operations; |
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limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes
in the business and the industry in which we operate; |
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place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our
competitors that have less debt; and |
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subject us to higher interest expense in the event of increases
in interest rates to the extent a portion of our debt is and
will continue to be at variable rates of interest. |
The terms of our debt instruments may restrict our current
and future operations, particularly our ability to finance
additional growth, respond to changes or take certain
actions.
Our and our subsidiaries current debt instruments contain,
and any future debt instruments, including the debt instruments
for the financing of The Venetian Macao and our other Cotai
Strip developments, likely will contain, a number of restrictive
covenants that impose significant operating and financial
restrictions on us or our subsidiaries.
Las Vegas Sands Opcos amended and restated senior secured
credit facility includes, and the proposed new credit facility
for the construction of The Venetian Macao is expected to
include, covenants restricting, among other things, the ability
of Las Vegas Sands Opco or VML, respectively, to:
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incur additional debt, including guarantees or credit support; |
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incur liens securing indebtedness; |
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dispose of assets; |
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make certain acquisitions; |
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pay dividends or make distributions and make other restricted
payments, such as purchasing equity interests, repurchasing
junior indebtedness or making investments in third parties; |
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enter into sale and leaseback transactions; |
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engage in any new businesses; |
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issue preferred stock; and |
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enter into transactions with our stockholders and our affiliates. |
Las Vegas Sands Opcos amended and restated senior secured
credit facility also includes financial covenants, including
requirements that Las Vegas Sands Opco satisfy:
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a minimum consolidated net worth test; |
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a maximum consolidated capital expenditure test; |
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a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio; and |
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a maximum consolidated leverage ratio. |
VMLs proposed new credit facility for the construction of
The Venetian Macao is also expected to include financial
covenants, including requirements that VML satisfy:
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a minimum consolidated EBITDA test for a period of time, and
from and after certain construction and operational thresholds
are met, a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio test and
a maximum consolidated leverage ratio test; and |
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a maximum consolidated capital expenditure test. |
The indenture governing our $250.0 million in aggregate
principal amount of 6.375% senior notes also restricts,
among other things, our ability to incur liens and enter into
certain sale and lease-back transactions.
Our future debt or other contracts could contain financial or
other covenants more restrictive than those applicable under the
above instruments.
Our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover all
possible losses that our properties could suffer. In addition,
our insurance costs may increase and we may not be able to
obtain the same insurance coverage in the future.
Although we have all-risk property insurance for The Venetian,
The Sands Expo Center and The Sands Macao covering damage caused
by a casualty loss (such as fire and natural disasters), each
such policy has certain exclusions. In addition, our property
insurance coverage for The Venetian and The Sands Expo Center is
in an amount that is significantly less than the expected
replacement cost of rebuilding the complex if there was a total
loss. Our level of insurance coverage for The Venetian and The
Sands Expo Center may not be adequate to cover all losses in the
event of a major casualty. In addition, certain casualty events,
such as labor strikes, nuclear events, acts of war, loss of
income due to cancellation of room reservations or conventions
due to fear of terrorism, deterioration or corrosion, insect or
animal damage and pollution, might not be covered at all under
our policies. Therefore, certain acts could expose us to heavy,
uninsured losses.
We also have builders risk insurance for The Palazzo and
The Venetian Macao that provides coverage during their
construction for damage caused by a casualty loss (such as fire
and natural disasters). In general, our builders risk
coverage is subject to the same exclusions, risks and
deficiencies as those described above for our all-risk property
coverage. Our level of builders risk insurance coverage
for The Palazzo and The Venetian Macao may not be adequate to
cover all losses in the event of a major casualty. In addition,
delays occasioned by major casualty events may adversely affect
our ability to meet the deadlines imposed by the Macao
government to complete The Venetian Macao and the convention
center we are building in Macao. We are not insured against this
risk.
18
In addition, although we currently have insurance coverage for
occurrences of terrorist acts with respect to The Venetian, The
Sands Expo Center and The Sands Macao and for certain losses
that could result from these acts, our terrorism coverage is
subject to the same risks and deficiencies as those described
above for our all-risk property coverage. The lack of sufficient
insurance for these types of acts could expose us to heavy
losses in the event that any damages occur, directly or
indirectly, as a result of terrorist attacks or otherwise, which
could have a significant negative impact on our operations.
In addition to the damage caused to our property by a casualty
loss (such as fire, natural disasters, acts of war or
terrorism), we may suffer business disruption as a result of
these events or be subject to claims by third parties injured or
harmed. While we carry business interruption insurance and
general liability insurance, this insurance may not be adequate
to cover all losses in such event.
We renew our insurance policies on an annual basis. The cost of
coverage may become so high that we may need to further reduce
our policy limits or agree to certain exclusions from our
coverage. Among other factors, it is possible that the situation
in Iraq, homeland security concerns, other catastrophic events
or any change in government legislation governing insurance
coverage for acts of terrorism could materially adversely affect
available insurance coverage and result in increased premiums on
available coverage (which may cause us to elect to reduce our
policy limits) and additional exclusions from coverage. Among
other potential future adverse changes, in the future we may
elect to not, or may not be able to, obtain any coverage for
losses due to acts of terrorism.
Our debt instruments and other material agreements require us to
maintain a certain minimum level of insurance. Failure to
satisfy these requirements could result in an event of default
under these debt instruments or material agreements. See
Risks Associated with Our International
Operations The Macao government can terminate our
subconcession under certain circumstances without compensation
to us, which would have a material adverse effect on our
financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
We depend on the continued services of key managers and
employees. If we do not retain our key personnel or attract and
retain other highly skilled employees, our business will
suffer.
Our ability to maintain our competitive position is dependent to
a large degree on the services of our senior management team,
including Mr. Adelson. Mr. Adelson, William P.
Weidner, Bradley H. Stone, Robert G. Goldstein, Scott D. Henry
and Bradley K. Serwin have each entered into employment
agreements. However, we cannot assure you that any of these
individuals will remain with us. We currently do not have a life
insurance policy on any of the members of the senior management
team. The death or loss of the services of any of our senior
managers or the inability to attract and retain additional
senior management personnel could have a material adverse effect
on our business.
We are controlled by a principal stockholder whose
interest in our business may be different than yours.
Mr. Adelson and trusts for the benefit of Mr. Adelson
and/or his family members will beneficially own approximately
70.4% of our outstanding common stock following the completion
of this offering (excluding options and assuming the
underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase an
additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock). Accordingly,
Mr. Adelson exercises significant influence over our
business policies and affairs, including the composition of our
board of directors and any action requiring the approval of our
stockholders, including the adoption of amendments to our
articles of incorporation and the approval of a merger or sale
of substantially all of our assets. The concentration of
ownership may also delay, defer or even prevent a change in
control of our company and may make some transactions more
difficult or impossible without
19
the support of Mr. Adelson. Because Mr. Adelson and
trusts for the benefit of Mr. Adelson and/or his family
members own more than 50% of the voting power of our company, we
are considered a controlled company under the New York Stock
Exchange (the NYSE) listing standards. As such, the
NYSE corporate governance requirements that our board of
directors and our compensation committee be independent do not
apply to us. As a result, the ability of our independent
directors to influence our business policies and affairs may be
reduced. The interests of Mr. Adelson may conflict with
your interests. For additional information regarding the share
ownership of, and our relationship with, Mr. Adelson, you
should read the information under the headings Principal
and Selling Stockholders in this prospectus and the
information under the heading Certain Relationships and
Related Party Transactions in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
incorporated herein by reference.
We are a parent company and our primary source of cash is
and will be distributions from our subsidiaries.
We are a parent company with limited business operations of our
own. Our main asset is the capital stock of our subsidiaries. We
conduct most of our business operations through our direct and
indirect subsidiaries. Accordingly, our primary sources of cash
are dividends and distributions with respect to our ownership
interests in our subsidiaries that are derived from the earnings
and cash flow generated by our operating properties. Our
subsidiaries might not generate sufficient earnings and cash
flow to pay dividends or distributions in the future. Our
subsidiaries payments to us will be contingent upon their
earnings and upon other business considerations. In addition,
our subsidiaries debt instruments and other agreements,
including Las Vegas Sands Opcos amended and restated
senior secured credit facility, limit or prohibit certain
payments of dividends or other distributions to us. We expect
that the debt instruments for the financing of The Venetian
Macao and our other Cotai Strip developments will contain
similar restrictions.
We are currently in the development stage of several
projects that are subject to a variety of contingencies that may
ultimately prevent the realization of such plans.
We have several new projects in development, including building
and operating six casino resort developments on the Cotai Strip
in addition to The Venetian Macao. These projects are subject to
a number of contingencies. For example, we cannot assure you
that the Macao government will approve our master plan for the
development of those Cotai properties or that we will raise all
the financing required for the completion of these projects. See
There are significant risks associated with
our planned construction projects, which could adversely affect
our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows
from these planned facilities. In addition, although we
expect that several of the hotel properties will be managed or
developed by third parties, we cannot assure you that we will
reach satisfactory agreements with third parties to manage or
develop these properties.
We are also exploring opportunities for casino gaming operations
in certain other domestic and foreign jurisdictions, such as
Singapore, the United Kingdom and Pennsylvania (where we are
participating in a joint venture to develop a gaming and retail
complex in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania). We are also exploring the
development of a leisure and convention destination resort on
Hengqin Island in China. In a number of jurisdictions, such as
the United Kingdom, Singapore and Pennsylvania, current laws do
not permit unlimited licenses for casino gaming of the type we
propose to develop and we are competing for a limited number of
available licenses. These projects are subject to a number of
contingencies, including, but not limited to, adverse
developments in applicable legislation, our ability to procure
necessary governmental licenses and/or approvals, our ability to
reach satisfactory, final agreements with necessary third
parties or meet the conditions provided for thereunder, and our
ability to raise sufficient financing to fund such projects. In
addition, luxury casino resort projects require substantial
amounts of capital.
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As a result, our various plans for the development of our
operations may not ultimately be realized as currently planned,
or at all. Even if we are successful in launching any of these
ventures, we cannot assure you that any of these projects would
be successful, or that their operations would not have a
material adverse effect on our financial position, results of
operations or cash flows.
Risks Associated with Our Las Vegas Operations
We face significant competition in Las Vegas which could
materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of
operations or cash flows. Some of our competitors have
substantially greater resources and access to capital than we
have and several of them are expanding or renovating their
facilities. In addition, any significant downturn in the trade
show and convention business would significantly and adversely
affect our mid-week occupancy rates and business.
The hotel, resort and casino business in Las Vegas is highly
competitive. The Venetian competes with a large number of major
hotel-casinos and a number of smaller casinos located on and
near the Strip and in and near Las Vegas. Competitors of The
Venetian include major resorts on the Strip, such as the Wynn
Las Vegas Resort, the Bellagio, the Mandalay Bay
Resort & Casino and Paris Las Vegas. We also compete,
to some extent, with other hotel-casino facilities in Nevada and
in Atlantic City, as well as hotel-casinos and other resort
facilities and vacation destinations elsewhere in the United
States and around the world. Many of our competitors are
subsidiaries or divisions of large public companies and may have
greater financial and other resources than we have. In
particular, the recent merger of Mandalay Resort Group with MGM
Mirage and the recent acquisition of Caesars Entertainment
Inc. by Harrahs Entertainment created the worlds two
largest gaming companies.
According to the LVCVA, there were approximately 133,186 hotel
and motel rooms in Las Vegas as of December 31, 2005.
Various competitors on the Strip are expanding and renovating
their existing facilities. For example, Wynn Resorts Limited has
recently announced plans to add a second hotel tower at the Wynn
Las Vegas Resort which is expected to include approximately
2,000 rooms, consisting of approximately 150 suites and
approximately 1,850 guest rooms and additional casino, retail
and convention space that is expected to open in the second half
of 2008. In addition, a renovation and rebranding of the
approximately 2,600-room Aladdin is expected to be
completed in October 2006. MGM Mirage has also recently
announced plans to develop and build a multi-billion dollar
urban complex known as Project CityCenter consisting of hotels
and condominium towers and casino and retail, dining and
entertainment venues. The first phase of Project CityCenter is
expected to open in 2009. Boyd Gaming Corporation also recently
announced plans to develop Echelon Place, a four hotel complex
occupying 63 acres on the Strip and containing 5,300 guest rooms
and suites. The development is scheduled to open in 2010. A
newly formed company, Fontainebleau Resorts, also plans to build
a 4,000-room hotel and casino on the north end of the Strip.
This project is expected to open in 2008. If demand for hotel
rooms does not keep up with the increase in the number of hotel
rooms, competitive pressures may cause reductions in average
room rates.
We also compete with legalized gaming from casinos located on
Native American tribal lands. Native American tribes in
California are permitted to operate casinos with video gaming
machines, black jack and house-banked card games. The governor
of California has entered into compacts with numerous tribes in
California and has announced the execution of a number of new
compacts with no limits on the number of gaming machines (which
had been limited under the prior compacts). The federal
government has approved numerous compacts in California and
casino-style gaming is now legal on those tribal lands. While
the competitive impact on our operations in Las Vegas from the
continued growth of Native American gaming establishments in
California remains uncertain, the proliferation of gaming in
California and other areas located near The Venetian could have
an adverse effect on our results of operations.
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In addition, certain states have legalized, and others may
legalize, casino gaming in specific areas, including
metropolitan areas from which we traditionally attract
customers, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and
Boston. In October 2001, the New York legislature approved a
bill for expanded casino gaming on Native American reservations
and video lottery terminals at certain race tracks. In 2003 and
2004, Maine and Pennsylvania, respectively, approved legislation
legalizing slot machines or similar electronic gaming devices at
certain locations, although such legislation has not been
implemented yet. A number of states have permitted or are
considering permitting gaming at racinos on Native
American reservations and through expansion of state lotteries.
The current global trend toward liberalization of gaming
restrictions and resulting proliferation of gaming venues could
result in a decrease in the number of visitors to our Las Vegas
facilities by attracting customers close to home and away from
Las Vegas, which could adversely affect our financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
As a result of the large number of trade shows and conventions
held in Las Vegas, The Sands Expo Center and The Congress Center
provide recurring demand for mid-week room nights for business
travelers who attend these events. The attendance level at the
trade shows and conventions that we host contributes to our
higher-than-average mid-week occupancy rates. The Sands Expo
Center and The Congress Center presently compete with other
large convention centers, including convention centers in Las
Vegas and other cities. Competition will be increasing for The
Congress Center and The Sands Expo Center as a result of planned
additional convention and meeting facilities, as well as the
enhancement or expansion of existing convention and meeting
facilities, in Las Vegas. With the expansion of their
facilities, the Las Vegas Convention Center, which we refer to
as LVCC, an approximately 3.2 million square foot
convention and exhibition space facility, and the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center, an approximately 1.8 million square foot
convention center, will continue to be major competitors of The
Sands Expo Center and will be able to solely host many large
trade shows which had previously split space between the LVCC
and The Sands Expo Center. In February 2006, the LVCVA approved
an approximately $737 million project to expand and upgrade
the LVCC, which is expected to be completed in 2010. In
addition, Boyd Gaming Corporations Echelon Place, is
expected to include approximately 1.0 million square feet
of convention and meeting space when it opens in 2010. Moreover,
management anticipates increased competition from the MGM Grand
Hotel and Casino and the Mirage, which have significant
conference and meeting facilities. Also, cities such as Boston,
Orlando and Pittsburgh are in the process of developing, or have
announced plans to develop, convention centers and other
meeting, trade and exhibition facilities that may materially
adversely affect us. To the extent that these competitors are
able to capture a substantially larger portion of the trade show
and convention business, there could be a material adverse
impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash
flows.
The loss of our gaming license or our failure to comply
with the extensive regulations that govern our operations could
have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of
operations or cash flows.
Our gaming operations and the ownership of our securities are
subject to extensive regulation by the Nevada Gaming Commission,
the Nevada State Gaming Control Board and the Clark County
Liquor and Gaming Licensing Board. These gaming authorities have
broad authority with respect to licensing and registration of
our business entities and individuals investing in or otherwise
involved with us.
Although we currently are registered with, and Las Vegas Sands
Opco and Venetian Casino Resort LLC currently hold gaming
licenses issued by, the Nevada gaming authorities, these
authorities may, among other things, revoke the gaming license
of any corporate entity or the registration of a registered
corporation or any entity registered as a holding company of a
corporate licensee for violations of gaming regulations.
In addition, the Nevada gaming authorities may, under certain
conditions, revoke the license or finding of suitability of any
officer, director, controlling person, stockholder, noteholder
or key
22
employee of a licensed or registered entity. If our gaming
licenses were revoked for any reason, the Nevada gaming
authorities could require the closing of the casino, which would
have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition,
compliance costs associated with gaming laws, regulations or
licenses are significant. Any change in the laws, regulations or
licenses applicable to our business or gaming licenses could
require us to make substantial expenditures or could otherwise
have a material adverse effect on our financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
The Nevada State Gaming Control Board investigates or reviews
the records of gaming companies for compliance with gaming
regulations as part of its regular oversight functions.
For a more complete description of the gaming regulatory
requirements affecting our business, see
Business Regulation and Licensing in our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
incorporated herein by reference.
Certain beneficial owners of our voting securities may be
required to file an application with, and be investigated by,
the Nevada gaming authorities, and the Nevada Gaming Commission
may restrict the ability of a beneficial owner to receive any
benefit from our voting securities and may require the
disposition of shares of our voting securities, if a beneficial
owner is found to be unsuitable.
Any person who acquires beneficial ownership of more than 10% of
our voting securities will be required to apply to the Nevada
Gaming Commission for a finding of suitability within
30 days after the Chairman of the Nevada State Gaming
Control Board mails a written notice requiring the filing. Under
certain circumstances, an institutional investor as
defined under the regulations of the Nevada Gaming Commission,
which acquires beneficial ownership of more than 10% but not
more than 15% of our voting securities, may apply to the Nevada
Gaming Commission for a waiver of such finding of suitability
requirement if the institutional investor holds our voting
securities only for investment purposes. In addition, any
beneficial owner of our voting securities, regardless of the
number of shares beneficially owned, may be required at the
discretion of the Nevada Gaming Commission to file an
application for a finding of suitability as such. In either
case, a finding of suitability is comparable to licensing and
the applicant must pay all costs of investigation incurred by
the Nevada gaming authorities in conducting the investigation.
Any person who fails or refuses to apply for a finding of
suitability as a beneficial owner of our voting securities
within 30 days after being ordered to do so by the Nevada
gaming authorities may be found unsuitable. Any stockholder
found unsuitable by the Nevada Gaming Commission to be a
beneficial owner of our voting securities and who continues to
hold, directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership of our voting
securities beyond the period of time as may be prescribed by the
Nevada Gaming Commission may be guilty of a criminal offense. We
will be subject to disciplinary action if, after we receive
notice that a person is unsuitable to be a beneficial owner of
our voting securities or to have any other relationship with us
or a licensed subsidiary, we, or any of the licensed
subsidiaries:
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pay that person any dividend or interest upon our voting
securities; |
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allow that person to exercise, directly or indirectly, any
voting right conferred through our voting securities held by
that person; |
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pay that person any remuneration in any form for services
rendered or otherwise; or |
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fail to pursue all lawful efforts to require that person to
relinquish our voting securities for cash at fair market value. |
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For a more complete description of the Nevada gaming regulatory
requirements applicable to beneficial owners of our voting
securities, see Business Regulation and
Licensing State of Nevada in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K
incorporated herein by reference.
The construction and operation of The Palazzo could have
an adverse effect on The Venetian.
We have commenced construction on The Palazzo, which will
consist of a hotel, casino, restaurant, dining and entertainment
complex, and meeting and conference center space on an
approximately 14 acre site adjacent to The Venetian. Although we
intend to construct The Palazzo with minimal impact on The
Venetian, we cannot guarantee that the construction will not
disrupt the operations of The Venetian or that it will be
implemented as planned. Therefore, the construction of The
Palazzo may adversely impact the businesses, operations and
revenues of The Venetian. We also cannot assure you that The
Palazzo will be as financially successful as The Venetian. If
demand for the additional hotel rooms at The Palazzo is not
strong, the lack of demand may adversely affect the occupancy
rates and room rates realized by us. In addition, because the
business concept for The Palazzo is very similar to that of The
Venetian, there may not be enough demand to fill the combined
hotel room capacity of The Palazzo and The Venetian.
Our failure to substantially complete construction of the
Phase II mall by an agreed-upon deadline will result in our
having to pay substantial liquidated damages and cause an event
of default under our debt instruments.
Under our agreement with General Growth Properties
(GGP), we have agreed to substantially complete
construction of the Phase II mall before the earlier of
36 months after the date on which sufficient permits are
received to begin construction of the Phase II mall and
March 1, 2008. These dates may be extended due to force
majeure or certain other delays. In the event that we do not
substantially complete construction of the Phase II mall on
or before the earlier of these two dates (as these dates may be
extended as described in the preceding sentence), we must pay
liquidated damages of $5,000 per day, for up to six months,
until substantial completion (increasing to $10,000 per day, for
up to the next six months, if substantial completion does not
occur by the end of six months after the completion deadline).
If substantial completion has not occurred on or before one year
after the deadline, we will be required to pay total liquidated
damages in the amount of $100.0 million. In addition,
failure to substantially complete construction of the
Phase II mall by the agreed-upon deadline would constitute
an event of default under Las Vegas Sands Opcos amended
and restated senior secured credit facility and related
disbursement agreement.
If we are unable to maintain an acceptable working
relationship with GGP and/or if GGP breaches any of its material
agreements with us, there could be a material adverse effect on
our financial condition, results of operations or cash
flows.
We have entered into agreements with GGP under which, among
other things:
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GGP has agreed to purchase the Phase II mall from us; |
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GGP has agreed to operate The Grand Canal Shops mall subject to,
and in accordance with, the cooperation agreement; |
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leases for the Phase II mall, a joint opening date of the
Phase II mall and The Palazzo and certain aspects of the
design of the Phase II mall must be jointly approved by us
and GGP; and |
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we lease from GGP certain office space and space located within
The Grand Canal Shops mall, in which we built the Blue Man Group
theater (which opened in October 2005) and in which the canal
and the gondola retail store are located. |
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Each of the above-described agreements with GGP could be
adversely affected, in ways that could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash
flows, if we do not maintain an acceptable working relationship
with GGP. For example:
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if we are unable to agree with GGP on leases for the
Phase II mall, the purchase price we will ultimately be
paid for the Phase II mall could be substantially reduced,
and there would, at least for a certain period of time, be an
empty or partially empty mall within The Palazzo; |
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the success of the opening of The Palazzo may be adversely
affected if there is not an agreed-upon joint opening date for
The Palazzo and the Phase II mall; |
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completion of the construction of the Phase II mall would
be delayed during any period of time that we are not in
agreement with GGP as to certain design elements of the
Phase II mall; and |
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the cooperation agreement that will govern the relationship
between the Phase II mall and The Palazzo requires that the
owners cooperate in various ways and take various joint actions,
which will be more difficult to accomplish, especially in a
cost-effective manner, if the parties do not have an acceptable
working relationship. |
There could be similar material adverse consequences to us if
GGP breaches any of its agreements to us, such as its agreement
to purchase the Phase II mall from us, its agreement under
the cooperation agreement to operate The Grand Canal Shops mall
consistent with the standards of first-class restaurant and
retail complexes and the overall Venetian theme, and its various
obligations as our landlord under the leases described above.
Although the various agreements with GGP do provide us with
various remedies in the event of any breaches by GGP and also
include various dispute-resolution procedures and mechanisms,
these remedies, procedures and mechanisms may be inadequate to
prevent a material adverse effect on our operations and
financial condition if breaches by GGP occur or if we do not
maintain an acceptable working relationship with GGP.
We extend credit to a large portion of our customers, and
we may not be able to collect gaming receivables from our credit
players.
We conduct our gaming activities on a credit basis as well as a
cash basis. This credit is unsecured. Table games players
typically are extended more credit than slot players, and
high-stakes players typically are extended more credit than
patrons who tend to wager lower amounts. High-end gaming is more
volatile than other forms of gaming, and variances in win-loss
results attributable to high-end gaming may have a positive or
negative impact on cash flow and earnings in a particular
quarter.
At The Venetian, credit play is significant while at The Sands
Macao table games play is primarily cash play. We extend credit
to those customers whose level of play and financial resources
warrant, in the opinion of management, an extension of credit.
For the year ended December 31, 2005, our table games drop
at The Venetian was approximately 60.9% from credit-based guest
wagering. The default rate on credit extended to our table
gaming customers at The Venetian was approximately 0.43% of the
total amount of credit for the three years ended
December 31, 2005. In the past, individual gaming
receivables have ranged as high as $10.0 million for a
single player. These large receivables could have a significant
impact on our operating results if deemed uncollectible.
While gaming debts evidenced by a credit instrument, including
what is commonly referred to as a marker, and
judgments on gaming debts are enforceable under the current laws
of Nevada, and Nevada judgments on gaming debts are enforceable
in all states under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the
U.S. Constitution, other jurisdictions may determine that
enforcement of gaming debts is against public policy. Although
courts of some foreign nations
25
will enforce gaming debts directly and the assets in the United
States of foreign debtors may be reached to satisfy a judgment,
judgments on gaming debts from U.S. courts are not binding
on the courts of many foreign nations.
Risks Associated with Our International Operations
Conducting business in Macao has certain political and
economic risks which may affect the financial condition, results
of operations or cash flows of our Asian operations.
We currently own and operate a casino in Macao and are
developing and plan to operate one or more hotels, additional
casinos and convention centers in Macao, including The Venetian
Macao. Accordingly, our business development plans, financial
condition, results of operations or cash flows may be materially
and adversely affected by significant political, social and
economic developments in Macao and throughout the rest of China
and by changes in policies of the government or changes in laws
and regulations or the interpretations thereof. Our operations
in Macao are also exposed to the risk of changes in laws and
policies that govern operations of Macao-based companies. Tax
laws and regulations may also be subject to amendment or
different interpretation and implementation, thereby adversely
affecting our profitability after tax. Further, the percentage
of our gross gaming revenues that we must contribute annually to
the Macao authorities is subject to change in 2010. These
changes may have a material adverse effect on our financial
condition, results of operations or cash flows.
As we expect a significant number of consumers to come to The
Sands Macao and The Venetian Macao from China, general economic
conditions and policies in China could have a significant impact
on our financial prospects. Any slowdown in economic growth or
reversal of Chinas current policies of liberalizing
restrictions on travel and currency movements could adversely
impact the number of visitors from China to our Macao properties
as well as the amounts they are willing to spend in the casino.
Current Macao laws and regulations concerning gaming and gaming
concessions are, for the most part, fairly recent and there is
little precedent on the interpretation of these laws and
regulations. We believe that our organizational structure and
operations are in compliance in all material respects with all
applicable laws and regulations of Macao. However, these laws
and regulations are complex and a court or an administrative or
regulatory body may in the future render an interpretation of
these laws and regulations, or issue regulations, that differ
from our interpretation, which could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash
flows.
In addition, our activities in Macao are subject to
administrative review and approval by various agencies of the
Macao government. We cannot assure you that we will be able to
obtain all necessary approvals, which may materially affect our
long-term business strategy and operations. Macao law permits
redress to the courts with respect to administrative actions.
However, such redress is largely untested in relation to gaming
issues.
We are required to build and open The Venetian Macao and a
convention center by December 2007. Unless we meet this deadline
or obtain an extension, we may lose our right to continue to
operate The Sands Macao or any other facilities developed under
the subconcession.
Under our subconcession agreement, we are obligated to develop
and open The Venetian Macao and a convention center by December
2007. Construction of The Venetian Macao is subject to
significant development and construction risks, including
construction, equipment and staffing problems or delays and
difficulties in obtaining required materials, licenses, permits
and authorizations from governmental regulatory authorities, not
all of which have been obtained. Construction projects are
subject to cost overruns and delays caused by events not within
our control or, in certain cases, our contractors control,
such as shortages of materials or skilled labor, unforeseen
engineering, environmental and/or geological problems, work
stoppages,
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weather interference, unanticipated cost increases and
unavailability of construction materials or equipment. We
currently have no commitment for the financing of The Venetian
Macao or our other Cotai Strip developments. In addition, our
ability to incur additional debt or to make investments in the
entity constructing The Venetian Macao is limited under the
terms of the debt instruments of Las Vegas Sands Opco and may
prevent us from fulfilling our construction obligations. See
Risks Related to Our Business The
terms of our debt instruments may restrict our current and
future operations, particularly our ability to finance
additional growth, respond to changes or take some actions
and Risks Related to Our Business
There are significant risks associated with our planned
construction projects, which could adversely affect our
financial condition, results of operations or cash flows from
these planned facilities. We are currently scheduled to
open The Venetian Macao in mid-2007. We have recently received
an extension of the original completion deadline from the Macao
authorities. Although we believe that we will be able to
complete these projects by the December 2007 deadline or obtain
another extension of the deadline, if we fail to do so, the
Macao government has the right, after consultation with our
concessionaire, Galaxy Casino Company Limited, or Galaxy, to
unilaterally terminate our subconcession to operate The Sands
Macao or any of our other casino operations in Macao, without
compensation to us. The loss of our subconcession would prohibit
us from conducting gaming operations in Macao, which could have
a material adverse effect on our results of operations and
financial condition.
We are constructing The Venetian Macao on land for which
we have not yet been granted a concession. If we do not obtain a
land concession, we could forfeit all or a part of our
investment in the site and construction of The Venetian Macao
and would not be able to open and operate that facility as
planned.
Land concessions in Macao generally have terms of 25 years,
with automatic extensions of 10 years thereafter and there
are common formulas generally used to determine the cost of
these land concessions. We have not yet obtained a land
concession from the Macao government for the site of The
Venetian Macao (which we are currently constructing) and the
Four Season hotel. We are currently in the process of
negotiating with the Macao government to obtain the land
concession. We believe that the delay in obtaining this land
concession is due to the fact that we have not yet submitted to
the Macao government complete detailed plans for the development
of all portions of this site. Although there can be no
certainty, we expect to finalize our negotiations with the
government and obtain a land concession for the site of The
Venetian Macao and the Four Seasons soon after we finalize and
submit to the Macao government our development plans for the
entire site.
If we do not obtain a land concession for the site of The
Venetian Macao and the Four Seasons hotel, we will not be able
to open and operate these projects. We have made significant
investments in building the site for, and in constructing, The
Venetian Macao and could lose all or a substantial part of this
investment if we do not obtain a land concession. We also cannot
assure you that we will obtain a land concession on favorable
economic terms or at all.
The Macao government can terminate our subconcession under
certain circumstances without compensation to us, which would
have a material adverse effect on our financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
The Macao government has the right, after consultation with
Galaxy, to unilaterally terminate our subconcession in the event
of serious non-compliance by VML with its basic obligations
under the subconcession and applicable Macao laws. The following
reasons for termination are included in the subconcession:
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the operation of gaming without permission or operation of
business which does not fall within the business scope of the
subconcession; |
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suspension of operations of our gaming business in Macao without
reasonable grounds for more than seven consecutive days or more
than 14 non-consecutive days within one calendar year; |
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unauthorized transfer of all or part of our gaming operations in
Macao; |
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failure to pay taxes, premiums, levies or other amounts payable
to the Macao government; |
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failure to resume operations following the temporary assumption
of operations by the Macao government; |
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repeated failure to comply with decisions of the Macao
government; |
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failure to provide or supplement the guarantee deposit or the
guarantees specified in the subconcession within the prescribed
period; |
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bankruptcy or insolvency of VML; |
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fraudulent activity by VML; |
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serious and repeated violation by VML of the applicable rules
for carrying out casino games of chance or games of other forms
or the operation of casino games of chance or games of other
forms; |
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the grant to any other person of any managing power over
VML; or |
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failure by a controlling shareholder in VML to dispose of its
interest in VML following notice from the gaming authorities of
another jurisdiction in which such controlling shareholder is
licensed to operate casino games of chance to the effect that
such controlling shareholder can no longer own shares in VML. |
These events could lead to the termination of our subconcession
without compensation to us regardless of whether they occurred
with respect to us or with respect to our affiliates who will
operate our Macao properties. Upon such termination, all of our
casino gaming operations and related equipment in Macao would be
automatically transferred to the Macao government without
compensation to us and we would cease to generate any revenues
from these operations. In many of these instances, the
subconcession agreement does not provide a specific cure period
within which any such events may be cured and, instead, we would
rely on consultations and negotiations with the Macao government
to give us an opportunity to remedy any such default. In
addition, the subconcession agreement contains various general
covenants and obligations and other provisions, the
determination as to compliance with which is subjective. We
cannot assure you that we will perform such covenants in a way
that satisfies the requirements of the Macao government and,
accordingly, we will be dependent on our continuing
communications and good faith negotiations with the Macao
government to ensure that we are performing our obligations
under the subconcession in a manner that would avoid a default
thereunder.
Our subconcession also allows the Macao government to request
various changes in the plans and specifications of our Macao
properties and to make various other decisions and
determinations that may be binding on us. For example, the Macao
government has the right to require that we contribute
additional capital to our Macao subsidiaries or that we provide
certain deposits or other guarantees of performance in any
amount determined by the Macao government to be necessary. VML
is limited in its ability to raise additional capital by the
need to first obtain the approval of the Macao gaming and
governmental authorities before raising certain debt or equity.
As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply
with these requirements or any other requirements of the Macao
government or with the other requirements and obligations
imposed by our subconcession.
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Furthermore, pursuant to the subconcession agreement, we are
obligated to comply not only with the terms of that agreement,
but also with laws and regulations that the Macao government
might promulgate in the future. We cannot assure you that we
will be able to comply with any such order or that any such
order would not adversely affect our ability to construct or
operate our Macao properties. If any disagreement arises between
us and the Macao government regarding the interpretation of, or
our compliance with, a provision of the subconcession agreement,
we will be relying on the consultation process with the
applicable Macao governmental agency described above. During any
such consultation, however, we will be obligated to comply with
the terms of the subconcession agreement as interpreted by the
Macao government.
Our failure to comply with the terms of our subconcession in a
manner satisfactory to the Macao government could result in the
termination of our subconcession. Under our subconcession, we
would not be compensated if the Macao government decided to
terminate the subconcession because of our failure to perform.
The loss of our subconcession would prohibit us from conducting
gaming operations in Macao, which could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash
flows.
We will stop generating any revenues from our Macao gaming
operations if we cannot secure an extension of our subconcession
in 2022 or if the Macao government exercises its redemption
right in 2017.
Our subconcession agreement expires on June 26, 2022.
Unless our subconcession is extended, on that date, all of our
casino operations and related equipment in Macao will be
automatically transferred to the Macao government without
compensation to us and we will cease to generate any revenues
from these operations. Beginning on December 26, 2017, the
Macao government may redeem the subconcession agreement by
providing us at least one year prior notice. In the event the
Macao government exercises this redemption right, we are
entitled to fair compensation or indemnity. The amount of such
compensation or indemnity will be determined based on the amount
of revenue generated during the tax year prior to the
redemption. We cannot assure you that we will be able to renew
or extend our subconcession agreement on terms favorable to us
or at all. We also cannot assure you that if our subconcession
is redeemed, the compensation paid will be adequate to
compensate us for the loss of future revenues.
Our Macao operations face intense competition, which could
have a material adverse effect on our financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
The hotel, resort and casino businesses are highly competitive.
Our Macao operations currently compete with numerous other
casinos located in Macao. In addition, we expect competition to
increase in the near future from local and foreign casino
operators. Sociedade de Jogos de Macao (which we refer to as
SJM), which currently operates 16 gaming facilities in Macao,
had a commitment to invest at least 4.7 billion patacas
(approximately $563.4 million at exchange rates in effect
on December 31, 2005) in gaming, entertainment and related
projects in Macao by March 31, 2009. These projects include
the upgrade of the Lisboa Hotel, Macaos largest hotel with
approximately 1,000 rooms, the Fishermans Wharf
entertainment complex, which opened on December 31, 2005,
and a potential new casino hotel project. SJM has also announced
the construction of Oceanus, an $800.0 million casino
complex near the ferry terminal in Macao, scheduled to open in
2009. MGM Mirage has entered into a joint venture agreement with
Stanley Hos daughter, Pansy Ho Chiu-king, to develop,
build and operate a major hotel-casino resort in Macao. In April
2005, MGM Mirage obtained a subconcession allowing it to conduct
gaming operations in Macao. Construction on the MGM Grand Macao,
which is estimated to cost approximately $1.0 billion,
began in the second quarter of 2005 and the resort is scheduled
to open in the second half of 2007.
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In addition, Wynn Resorts (Macau), S.A., which we refer to as
Wynn Macau, a subsidiary of our competitor, Wynn Resorts,
Limited, a Las Vegas casino operator, has also received a
concession from the Macao government, which requires it to
construct and operate one or more casino gaming properties in
Macao, including a full-service casino resort by the end of
2006, and to invest at least 4.0 billion patacas
(approximately $479.5 million at exchange rates in effect
on December 31, 2005) in Macao-related projects by
June 27, 2009. Wynn Macau is constructing a facility that
is expected to open in fall 2006 and will include an
approximately 600-room
hotel, a casino and other non-gaming amenities. Wynn Macau
recently announced plans to expand the property to include
additional gaming space. The expansion is scheduled to open by
the third quarter of 2007. The estimated cost of the project,
including the expansion, is approximately $1.1 billion.
Wynn Macau also has announced plans to build up to three resorts
on the Cotai Strip but has not yet publicly provided details of
these proposed projects.
According to press reports, Melco International Development, a
company managed by Lawrence Ho (the son of SJMs Managing
Director Stanley Ho), has entered into an agreement with
Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, Australias biggest
casino owner, under which Publishing and Broadcasting will own a
minority stake in Stanley Hos Park Hyatt hotel and casino
development in Macao. Melco has also announced a
$1.0 billion City of Dreams project, which will
include casino, hotel, retail, entertainment and apartment space
adjacent to the Cotai Strip and is scheduled to open in 2008. In
March 2006, Wynn Macau agreed to sell a subconcession to own and
operate hotel casino resorts in Macao to Publishing and
Broadcasting and Publishing and Broadcasting agreed to sell a
40% interest in the subconcession to Melco. As a result,
Publishing and Broadcasting has announced that it will share the
economic interests in joint venture casino operations in Macao
with Melco on a 50-50
basis. SJM, Melco and Publishing and Broadcasting compete, and
Wynn Macau will compete, directly with our Macao operations.
Under its concession, Galaxy is also obligated to invest
4.4 billion patacas (approximately $527.4 million at
exchange rates in effect on December 31, 2005) in
development projects in Macao by June 2012. Galaxy currently
operates one small casino in Macao.
We will also compete to some extent with casinos located
elsewhere in Asia, such as Malaysias Genting Highlands, as
well as gaming venues in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere in
the world, including Las Vegas. In addition, certain countries
have legalized, and others may in the future legalize, casino
gaming, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and
Thailand. We also expect competition from cruise ships operating
out of Hong Kong and other areas of Asia that offer gaming. The
proliferation of gaming venues in Southeast Asia could
significantly and adversely affect our financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
The Macao government could grant additional rights to
conduct gaming in the future, which could have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations
or cash flows.
We hold a subconcession under one of only three gaming
concessions authorized by the Macao government to operate
casinos in Macao. The Macao government is precluded from
granting any additional gaming concessions until 2009. However,
we cannot assure you that the laws will not change and permit
the Macao government to grant additional gaming concessions
before 2009. In addition, the Macao government may permit
existing concessionaires to grant subconcessions. In April 2005,
MGM Mirages joint venture obtained a subconcession under
SJMs existing concession allowing it to conduct gaming
operations in Macao. If the Macao government were to allow
additional competitors to operate in Macao through the grant of
additional concessions or subconcessions, we would face
additional competition, which could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash
flows.
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We may not be able to attract and retain professional
staff necessary for our existing and future properties in
Macao.
Our success depends in large part upon our ability to attract,
retain, train, manage and motivate skilled employees. There is
significant competition in Macao for employees with the skills
required to perform the services we offer and competition for
such persons is likely to increase. There can be no assurance
that a sufficient number of skilled employees will continue to
be available, or that we will be successful in training,
retaining and motivating current or future employees. If we are
unable to attract, retain and train skilled employees, our
ability to adequately manage and staff our existing and planned
casino and resort properties in Macao could be impaired, which
could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, results of operations or cash flows.
We are dependent upon gaming junket operators for a
significant portion of our gaming revenues in Macao.
Junket operators, who organize tours, or junkets, for high
roller customers to casinos, are responsible for a significant
portion of our gaming revenues in Macao. With the rise in gaming
in Macao, the competition for relationships with junket
operators has increased. While we are undertaking initiatives to
strengthen our relationships with our current junket operators,
there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain, or
grow, our relationships with junket operators. If we are unable
to maintain or grow our relationships with junket operators, our
ability to grow our gaming revenues will be hampered and we will
have to seek alternative ways to develop relationships with high
roller customers, which may not be as profitable as our junket
programs.
In addition, the quality of junket operators is important to our
reputation and our ability to continue to operate in compliance
with our gaming licenses. While we strive for excellence in our
associations with junket operators, we cannot assure you that
the junket operators with whom we are associated will meet the
high standards we insist upon. If a junket operator falls below
our standards, we may suffer reputational harm, as well as
worsening relationships with, and possibly sanctions from,
gaming regulators with authority over our operations.
Our business could be adversely affected by the
limitations of the pataca exchange markets and restrictions on
the export of the renminbi.
Our revenues in Macao are denominated in patacas, the legal
currency of Macao, and Hong Kong dollars. Although currently
permitted, we cannot assure you that patacas will continue to be
freely exchangeable into U.S. dollars. Also, because the
currency market for patacas is relatively small and undeveloped,
our ability to convert large amounts of patacas into
U.S. dollars over a relatively short period may be limited.
As a result, we may experience difficulty in converting patacas
into U.S. dollars.
We are currently prohibited from accepting wagers in renminbi,
the currency of China. There are currently restrictions on the
export of the renminbi outside of mainland China, including to
Macao. Restrictions on the export of the renminbi may impede the
flow of gaming customers from China to Macao, inhibit the growth
of gaming in Macao and negatively impact our gaming operations.
On July 21, 2005, the Peoples Bank of China announced
that the renminbi will no longer be pegged to the
U.S. dollar, but will be allowed to float in a band (and,
to a limited extent, increase in value) against a basket of
foreign currencies. The Macao pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong
dollar. Certain Asian countries have publicly asserted their
desire to eliminate the peg of the Hong Kong dollar to the
U.S. dollar. As a result, we cannot assure you that the
Hong Kong dollar and the Macao pataca will continue to be pegged
to the U.S. dollar or that the current peg rate for these
currencies will remain at the same level. The floating of the
renminbi and possible changes to the peg of the Hong Kong dollar
may result in severe fluctuations in the exchange rate for these
currencies. Any change in such exchange rates could have a
material adverse
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effect on our ability to make payments on certain of our debt
instruments. We do not currently hedge for foreign currency risk.
Certain gaming laws apply to our planned gaming activities
and associations in other jurisdictions where we operate or plan
to operate.
Certain Nevada gaming laws also apply to our gaming activities
and associations in jurisdictions outside the state of Nevada.
We are required to comply with certain reporting requirements
concerning our proposed gaming activities and associations
occurring outside the State of Nevada, including Macao and other
jurisdictions. We will also be subject to disciplinary action by
the Nevada Gaming Commission if we:
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knowingly violate any laws of the foreign jurisdiction
pertaining to the foreign gaming operation; |
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|
|
fail to conduct the foreign gaming operation in accordance with
the standards of honesty and integrity required of Nevada gaming
operations; |
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|
engage in any activity or enter into any association that is
unsuitable for us because it poses an unreasonable threat to the
control of gaming in Nevada, reflects or tends to reflect
discredit or disrepute upon the State of Nevada or gaming in
Nevada, or is contrary to the gaming policies of Nevada; |
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|
engage in any activity or enter into any association that
interferes with the ability of the State of Nevada to collect
gaming taxes and fees; or |
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|
employ, contract with or associate with any person in the
foreign gaming operation who has been denied a license or a
finding of suitability in Nevada on the ground of personal
unsuitability, or who has been found guilty of cheating at
gambling. |
In addition, if the Nevada State Gaming Control Board determines
that one of our actual or intended activities or associations in
a foreign gaming operation may violate one or more of the
foregoing, we can be required by it to file an application with
the Nevada Gaming Commission for a finding of suitability of
such activity or association. If the Nevada Gaming Commission
finds that the activity or association in the foreign gaming
operation is unsuitable or prohibited, we will either be
required to terminate the activity or association, or will be
prohibited from undertaking the activity or association.
Consequently, should the Nevada Gaming Commission find that our
gaming activities or associations in Macao or certain other
jurisdictions where we operate are unsuitable, we may be
prohibited from undertaking our planned gaming activities or
associations in those jurisdictions.
The Macao gaming authorities exercise similar powers for
purposes of assessing suitability in relation to our activities
in jurisdictions outside of Macao.
We may not be able to monetize some of our real estate
assets.
Part of our business strategy in Macao relies upon our ability
to profitably operate and/or sell certain of our real estate
assets once developed, including vacation suites and retail
malls, and to use the proceeds of these operations and sales to
refinance in part our construction loans for these assets, as
well as to provide investment capital for additional development
both in Macao and elsewhere. Our ability to sell these assets
will be subject to market conditions, the receipt of necessary
government approvals and other factors. If we are unable to
profitably operate and/or monetize these real estate assets, we
will have to seek alternative sources of capital to refinance in
part our construction loans and for other investment capital.
These alternative sources of capital may not be available on
commercially reasonable terms or at all.
32
VML may have financial and other obligations to foreign
workers hired by its contractors under government labor
quotas.
The Macao government has granted VML a quota to permit it to
hire foreign workers. VML has effectively allocated this quota
to its contractors for the construction of The Venetian Macao
and other projects on the Cotai Strip. VML, however, remains
ultimately liable for all employer obligations relating to these
employees, including for payment of wages and taxes and
compliance with labor and workers compensation laws. VML
requires each contractor to whom it has allocated part of its
labor quota to indemnify VML for any costs or liabilities VML
incurs as a result of such contractors failure to fulfill
employer obligations. VMLs agreements with its contractors
also contain provisions that permit it to retain some payments
for up to one year after the contractors complete work on the
projects. We cannot assure you that VMLs contractors will
fulfill their obligations to employees hired under the labor
quotas or to VML under the indemnification agreements, or that
the amount of any indemnification will be sufficient to pay for
any obligations VML may owe to employees hired by contractors
under VMLs quotas. Until we make final payments to our
contractors, we have offset rights to collect amounts they may
owe us, including amounts owed under the indemnities relating to
employer obligations. After we have made the final payments, it
may be more difficult for us to enforce any unpaid indemnity
obligations.
The transportation infrastructure in Macao may need to be
expanded to meet increased visitation in Macao.
Macao is in the process of expanding its transportation
infrastructure to service the increased number of visitors to
Macao. If the planned expansions of transportation facilities to
and from Macao are delayed or not completed, and Macaos
transportation infrastructure is insufficient to meet the
demands of an increased volume of visitors to Macao, the
desirability of Macao as a gaming and tourist destination, as
well as the results of operations of our Macao properties, could
be negatively impacted.
We are currently not required to pay corporate income
taxes on our casino gaming operations in Macao. This tax
exemption expires at the end of 2008 and may not be
extended.
We have had the benefit of a corporate tax holiday in Macao,
effective May 18, 2004, which exempts us from paying
corporate income tax on profits generated by the operation of
casino games. We will continue to benefit from this tax
exemption through the end of 2008. We cannot assure you that
this tax exemption will be extended beyond the expiration date
and we do not expect this tax exemption to apply to our
non-gaming activities once The Venetian Macao and our other
Cotai Strip properties open.
Macao is susceptible to severe typhoons that may disrupt
operations.
Macao is susceptible to severe typhoons. Macao consists of a
peninsula and two islands off the coast of mainland China. On
some occasions, typhoons have caused a considerable amount of
damage to Macaos infrastructure and economy. In the event
of a major typhoon or other natural disaster in Macao, our
business may be severely disrupted and our results of operations
could be adversely affected. Although we have insurance coverage
with respect to these events, we cannot assure you that our
coverage will be sufficient to fully indemnify us against all
direct and indirect costs, including loss of business, that
could result from substantial damage to, or partial or complete
destruction of, our Macao properties or other damage to the
infrastructure or economy of Macao.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
Our stock price may be volatile and you may lose all or
part of your investment.
The market price of our common stock could fluctuate
significantly, in which case you may not be able to resell your
shares at or above the offering price. The market price of our
common
33
stock may fluctuate based on a number of factors in addition to
those listed in this prospectus, including:
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our operating performance and the performance of our competitors
and other similar companies; |
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|
the publics reaction to our press releases, our other
public announcements and our filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC; |
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|
changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by research
analysts who track our common stock or the stocks of other
companies in our industry; |
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|
changes in general economic conditions; |
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the number of our publicly traded shares; |
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|
|
actions of our current stockholders, including this offering; |
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|
|
the arrival or departure of key personnel or personal matters
affecting our principal stockholder; |
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|
|
acquisitions, strategic alliances or joint ventures involving us
or our competitors; and |
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|
other developments affecting us, our industry or our competitors. |
In addition, in recent years the stock market has experienced
significant price and volume fluctuations. These fluctuations
are often unrelated to the operating performance of particular
companies. These broad market fluctuations may cause declines in
the market price of our common stock. The price of our common
stock could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or
nothing to do with our company or its performance, and these
fluctuations could materially reduce our stock price.
Our articles of incorporation and by-laws contain
provisions that may discourage a takeover attempt. Nevada law
also imposes, and other jurisdictions may impose, barriers to
acquiring a controlling interest in our shares.
Provisions contained in our amended and restated articles of
incorporation and by-laws could make it more difficult for a
third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial
to our stockholders. Provisions of our amended and restated
articles of incorporation and by-laws impose various procedural
and other requirements which could make it more difficult for
stockholders to affect some corporate actions. For example, our
articles of incorporation authorize our board to determine the
rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of unissued
series of preferred stock, without any vote or action by our
stockholders. Thus our board can authorize and issue shares of
preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could
adversely affect the voting or other rights of holders of our
common stock. These rights may have the effect of delaying or
deterring a change of control of our company. In addition, a
change of control of our company may be delayed or deferred as a
result of our having three classes of directors. Nevada law
provides that, in certain circumstances, a stockholder who
acquires a controlling interest in a corporation, defined
statutorily as any acquisition that causes such
stockholders interest to exceed any of a 1/5, 1/3 or 1/2
interest in a corporation, has no voting rights in the shares
acquired that caused the stockholder to exceed any such
threshold, unless:
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|
|
the corporations other stockholders, by majority vote,
grant voting rights to such shares; or |
|
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|
the corporations articles of incorporation or by-laws in
effect on the tenth day following such acquisition of shares
exempt the corporation from the relevant Nevada law provisions. |
In addition, under Nevada law, any change of control of our
company must also be approved by the Nevada gaming authorities.
Other jurisdictions may have similar requirements. These
provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing
to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. See
Description of Capital Stock for additional
information on the anti-takeover measures applicable to us.
34
Future sales of shares could depress our stock
price.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, or
the perception that a large number of shares will be sold, could
depress the market price of our common stock. We, the selling
stockholders, our executive officers, directors and certain
other stockholders have agreed with the underwriters not to
offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to
purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of any of
their shares of common stock or securities convertible into or
exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, shares
of common stock other than under our employee compensation
plans, and subject to specified exceptions and extensions,
during the period from the date of this prospectus continuing
through various dates up to one year after the date of this
prospectus, except with the prior written consent of Goldman,
Sachs & Co. Goldman, Sachs & Co. in its sole
discretion may release any of the securities subject to these
lock-up agreements at
any time without notice. See Shares Eligible for Future
Sale Lock-Up Agreements.
Following the consummation of this offering,
262,763,274 shares of common stock will be restricted
pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the Securities Act) (excluding options and
assuming the underwriters will not exercise the option to
purchase an additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock
granted to them by the selling stockholders), of which
(i) 1,078,555 shares will be available for sale at any
time, subject to the volume and other restrictions of
Rule 144, (ii) 1,619,542, 621,745 and
249,519,951 shares will be available for sale 60 days,
90 days or one year (or earlier if waived by Goldman,
Sachs & Co.) after the date of this prospectus,
respectively, upon the expiration of the various
lock-up agreements with
the underwriters, subject to the volume and other restrictions
of Rule 144, (iii) 8,719,159 shares will be
available for sale at various times after the expiration of the
various lock-up periods
and applicable holding period pursuant to Rule 144, subject
to the volume and other restrictions of Rule 144 and
(iv) 1,204,322 shares will be available for sale at
various times after the expiration of the applicable holding
period pursuant to Rule 144, subject to the volume and
other restrictions of Rule 144. See Shares Eligible
for Future Sale. There are certain permitted exceptions to
the lock-up agreements which are described under Shares
Eligible for Future Sale Lock-Up
Agreements.
After this offering, the holders of approximately
262,737,759 shares of our common stock (excluding options
and assuming the underwriters will not exercise the option to
purchase an additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock
granted to them by the selling stockholders) will have rights,
subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration
statements covering their shares or to include their shares in
registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other
stockholders. By exercising their registration rights and
selling a large number of shares, these stockholders could cause
the price of our common stock to decline.
We do not expect to pay cash dividends.
We do not expect to pay cash dividends on our common stock in
the foreseeable future. Our board of directors will determine
whether to pay dividends in the future based on conditions then
existing, including our earnings, financial condition and
capital requirements, as well as economic and other conditions
our board may deem relevant. Our ability to declare and pay
dividends on our common stock is subject to the requirements of
Nevada law. We are a parent company, dependent upon the
operations of our subsidiaries for cash. The terms of our
subsidiaries debt and other agreements restrict the
ability of our subsidiaries to dividend funds up to us. We
intend to retain earnings to finance operations and the
expansion of our business. Therefore, unless and until we pay
cash dividends on our common stock, any gains from your
investment in our common stock must come from an increase in its
market price. See Risks Related to Our
Business We are a parent company and our primary
source of cash is and will be distributions from our
subsidiaries.
35
DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus includes or incorporates by reference
forward-looking statements, as defined by federal
securities laws, with respect to our financial condition,
results of operations and business and our expectations or
beliefs concerning future events. Such forward-looking
statements include the discussions of the business strategies of
our company and expectations concerning future operations,
margins, profitability, liquidity, and capital resources. In
addition, in certain portions included or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus, the words:
anticipates, believes,
estimates, seeks, expects,
plans, intends and similar expressions,
as they relate to our company or its management, are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. Although we believe that
such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure
you that any forward-looking statements will prove to be
correct. Such forward-looking statements involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause
our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such
factors include, among others, the risks associated with:
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general economic and business conditions which may impact levels
of disposable income, consumer spending and pricing of hotel
rooms; |
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the uncertainty of tourist behavior related to spending and
vacationing at casino resorts in Las Vegas and Macao; |
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|
disruptions or reductions in travel due to conflicts with Iraq
and any future terrorist incidents; |
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|
outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as severe acute
respiratory syndrome or avian flu, in our market areas; |
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our dependence upon three properties in two markets for all of
our cash flow; |
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new developments, construction and ventures, including The
Palazzo, The Venetian Macao and other Cotai Strip developments; |
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|
the passage of new legislation and receipt of governmental
approvals for our proposed developments in Macao, Singapore, the
United Kingdom and other jurisdictions where we are planning to
operate; |
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|
our substantial leverage and debt service (including sensitivity
to fluctuations in interest rates and other capital markets
trends); |
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|
our insurance coverage, including the risk that we have not
obtained sufficient coverage against acts of terrorism or will
only be able to obtain additional coverage at significantly
increased rates; |
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|
government regulation of the casino industry, including gaming
license regulation, the legalization of gaming in certain
domestic jurisdictions, including Native American reservations,
and regulation of gaming on the Internet; |
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increased competition and additional construction in Las Vegas,
including recent and upcoming increases in hotel rooms, meeting
and convention space and retail space; |
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fluctuations in the demand for all-suites rooms, occupancy rates
and average daily room rates in Las Vegas; |
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the popularity of Las Vegas as a convention and trade show
destination; |
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new taxes or changes to existing tax rates; |
36
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our ability to meet certain development deadlines in Macao; |
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our ability to maintain our gaming subconcession in Macao; |
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the completion of infrastructure projects in Macao; |
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increased competition and other planned construction projects in
Macao; and |
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any future litigation. |
All future written and verbal forward-looking statements
attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are
expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary
statements contained or referred to in this section. New risks
and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible
for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. We
assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements
after the date of this prospectus as a result of new
information, future events or developments, except as required
by federal securities laws.
37
USE OF PROCEEDS
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by
the selling stockholders or the additional shares to be sold by
the selling stockholders if the underwriters exercise their
option to purchase an additional 8,250,000 shares of common
stock. All of the shares in the offering are being sold by
trusts established for the benefit of our principal stockholder,
who is also our chairman of the board and chief executive
officer, and his family. See Principal and Selling
Shareholders.
DIVIDEND POLICY
We do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock in the
future. We expect to retain our future earnings, if any, for use
in the operation and expansion of our business. Our board of
directors will determine whether to pay dividends in the future
based on conditions then existing, including our earnings,
financial condition and capital requirements, as well as
economic and other conditions our board may deem relevant. Our
ability to declare and pay dividends on our common stock is
subject to the requirements of Nevada law. In addition, we are a
parent company, dependent upon the operations of our
subsidiaries for cash and our subsidiaries ability to pay
dividends to us is restricted under certain of their debt and
other agreements. See Risk Factors Risks
Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock We do not
expect to pay cash dividends.
PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK
Our common stock has been trading on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol LVS since December 14, 2004.
Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our
common stock. The following table sets forth, for the periods
indicated, the high and low sales prices of our common stock
reported by the New York Stock Exchange.
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Low | |
|
High | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Year Ended December 31,
2004
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 14 to December 31,
2004
|
|
$ |
29.00 |
|
|
$ |
53.00 |
|
Year Ended December 31,
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First Quarter 2005
|
|
$ |
42.05 |
|
|
$ |
50.79 |
|
Second Quarter 2005
|
|
$ |
33.70 |
|
|
$ |
44.26 |
|
Third Quarter 2005
|
|
$ |
31.65 |
|
|
$ |
40.42 |
|
Fourth Quarter 2005
|
|
$ |
29.69 |
|
|
$ |
45.83 |
|
Year Ended December 31,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First Quarter 2006 (through
March 13, 2006)
|
|
$ |
38.44 |
|
|
$ |
58.02 |
|
As of February 24, 2006, there were 354,303,160 shares
of our common stock issued and outstanding that were held by 135
stockholders of record. On March 13, 2006, the last
reported sale price of our common stock on the New York Stock
Exchange was $51.25 per share.
38
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENT
The unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated statement of
operations has been prepared by management and gives effect to
the following items as if they had occurred on January 1,
2005:
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|
our issuance of $250.0 million in aggregate principal
amount of 6.375% senior notes due 2015 on February 10,
2005; |
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the use of $323.2 million in proceeds from our initial
public offering to redeem $291.1 million in aggregate
principal amount of Las Vegas Sands Opcos 11.0% mortgage
notes on February 1, 2005 and to pay related redemption
costs; |
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|
the amendment and restatement of Las Vegas Sands Opcos
existing senior secured credit facility on February 22,
2005 to, among other things, increase borrowings by
$305.0 million of additional term loans and lower interest
costs; |
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|
the use of the proceeds from our offering of 6.375% senior
notes due 2015, available cash and borrowings under Las Vegas
Sands Opcos amended and restated senior secured credit
facility for the retirement of the remaining $552.5 million
in aggregate principal amount of Las Vegas Sands Opcos
11.0% mortgage notes and for the payment of all fees and
expenses associated with the refinancing transactions on
February 22, 2005; and |
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the use of $121.4 million of available cash to redeem
VMLs $120.0 million in aggregate principal amount of
floating rate senior secured notes and to pay $1.4 million
of accrued interest on May 23, 2005. |
Due to their delayed draw terms, the unaudited pro forma data do
not give effect to other borrowings under Las Vegas Sands
Opcos amended and restated senior secured credit facility
or the $250.0 million construction loan for the
construction of The Palazzo. In addition, the unaudited pro
forma data do not give effect to any borrowings for The Venetian
Macao and our other Cotai Strip developments.
The pro forma adjustments, which are based on available
information and certain assumptions that we believe are
reasonable under the circumstances, are applied to the
historical consolidated financial statements. The unaudited pro
forma condensed consolidated financial statement is provided for
informational purposes only and does not purport to represent
what our results of operations would actually have been had the
transactions described above occurred on such dates or to
project our results of operations or financial position for any
future period.
The accompanying unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated
financial statement should be read in conjunction with
Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Other
Data included elsewhere in this prospectus and the other
financial information and historical consolidated financial
statements and the notes thereto incorporated by reference into
this prospectus.
39
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
Statement of Operations
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Retirement | |
|
|
|
|
Las Vegas | |
|
|
|
6.375% Senior | |
|
|
|
of 11% | |
|
|
|
|
Sands Corp. | |
|
Equity | |
|
Notes | |
|
Bank | |
|
Mortgage | |
|
Redemption of | |
|
|
|
|
Historical | |
|
Clawback | |
|
Proceeds | |
|
Refinancing | |
|
Notes | |
|
Macao Notes | |
|
Pro Forma | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
(Dollars in thousands, except per share and share data) | |
Revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casino
|
|
$ |
1,250,090 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
1,250,090 |
|
|
Rooms
|
|
|
323,560 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
323,560 |
|
|
Food and beverage
|
|
|
147,510 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
147,510 |
|
|
Retail and other
|
|
|
103,065 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
103,065 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total revenues
|
|
|
1,824,225 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,824,225 |
|
Less promotional
allowances
|
|
|
(83,313 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(83,313 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
|
1,740,912 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,740,912 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casino
|
|
|
656,590 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
656,590 |
|
|
Rooms
|
|
|
82,058 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
82,058 |
|
|
Food and beverage
|
|
|
76,736 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
76,736 |
|
|
Retail and other
|
|
|
58,068 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
58,068 |
|
|
Provision for doubtful accounts
|
|
|
9,358 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9,358 |
|
|
General and administrative
|
|
|
192,806 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
192,806 |
|
|
Corporate expense
|
|
|
38,297 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
38,297 |
|
|
Rental expense
|
|
|
14,841 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,841 |
|
|
Pre-opening expense
|
|
|
3,732 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,732 |
|
|
Development expense
|
|
|
22,238 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,238 |
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
95,296 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
95,296 |
|
|
Loss on disposal of assets
|
|
|
1,441 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,441 |
|
|
Gain on sale of Grand Canal Shops
mall
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
1,251,461 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,251,461 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income
|
|
|
489,451 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
489,451 |
|
Other income (expense):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
33,111 |
|
|
|
(275 |
)(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(136 |
)(1) |
|
|
(473 |
)(8) |
|
|
32,227 |
|
|
Interest expense, net of amounts
capitalized
|
|
|
(96,292 |
) |
|
|
2,829 |
(2) |
|
|
(1,803 |
)(5) |
|
|
(2,654 |
)(6) |
|
|
9,123 |
(7) |
|
|
3,466 |
(9) |
|
|
(85,331 |
) |
|
Other income (expense)
|
|
|
(1,334 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1,334 |
) |
|
Loss on early retirement of debt
|
|
|
(137,000 |
) |
|
|
32,025 |
(3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,809 |
(3) |
|
|
4,166 |
(10) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income before income taxes
|
|
|
287,936 |
|
|
|
34,579 |
|
|
|
(1,803 |
) |
|
|
(2,654 |
) |
|
|
109,796 |
|
|
|
7,159 |
|
|
|
435,013 |
|
|
Benefit (provision) for income taxes
|
|
|
(4,250 |
) |
|
|
(12,103 |
)(4) |
|
|
631 |
(4) |
|
|
929 |
(4) |
|
|
(38,429 |
)(4) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(53,222 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
$ |
283,686 |
|
|
$ |
22,476 |
|
|
$ |
(1,172 |
) |
|
$ |
(1,725 |
) |
|
$ |
71,367 |
|
|
$ |
7,159 |
|
|
$ |
381,791 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic earnings per share
|
|
$ |
0.80 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1.08 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted earning per share
|
|
$ |
0.80 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
1.08 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average shares outstanding:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
354,161,165 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
354,161,165 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted
|
|
|
354,526,604 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
354,526,604 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
40
Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma
Condensed Consolidated Financial Statement
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Reflects the elimination of interest income earned in relation
to the assumed utilization of existing cash balances by the
Company to retire the 11% mortgage notes. |
|
|
(2) |
Reflects the effect on interest expense of the redemption of
$291.1 million in aggregate principal amount of Las Vegas
Sands Opcos 11% mortgage notes on February 1, 2005: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
(In thousands) | |
Deductions to historical
interest expense:
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense related to the
redemption of the 11% mortgage notes using proceeds of our
initial public offering, at actual historical amounts
|
|
$ |
(2,720 |
) |
Interest expense related to
amortization of deferred offering costs of the 11% mortgage
notes, at actual historical amounts
|
|
|
(109 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Net pro forma decrease to
historical interest expense
|
|
$ |
(2,829 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3) |
Reflects the elimination of the related loss on early retirement
of debt for $291.1 million and $552.5 million of the
11% mortgage notes, respectively. |
|
|
(4) |
Reflects the tax benefit (expense) of the related pro forma
adjustment assuming a 35% statutory tax rate for Las Vegas Sands
Corp. |
|
|
(5) |
Reflects the effect on interest expense of our offering of
6.375% senior notes due 2015: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
(In thousands) | |
Additions to historical interest
expense:
|
|
|
|
|
Pro forma interest expense of
6.375% senior notes offering
|
|
$ |
1,747 |
|
Pro forma amortization of deferred
offering costs and original issue discount using a life of
10 years
|
|
|
56 |
|
|
|
|
|
Net pro forma increase to
historical interest expense
|
|
$ |
1,803 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(6) |
Reflects the effect on interest expense of $305.0 million
of additional borrowings related to the amendment and
restatement of Las Vegas Sands Opcos existing senior
secured credit facility: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
(In thousands) | |
Deductions to historical
interest expense:
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense related to the
reduction of the contractual spread for the existing
$665.0 million senior secured credit facility from
250 basis points to 175 basis points
|
|
$ |
(831 |
) |
Additions to historical interest
expense:
|
|
|
|
|
Pro forma interest expense on the
$305.0 million of additional borrowings under the
term B loan of the amended and restated senior secured
credit facility (interest rate of 6.43%)(a)
|
|
|
3,269 |
|
Pro forma amortization of deferred
offering costs related to the amended and restated senior
secured credit facility (weighted average life of 6 years)
|
|
|
216 |
|
|
|
|
|
Net pro forma increase to
historical interest expense
|
|
$ |
2,654 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
Based upon the three-month LIBOR rate on January 31, 2006
of 4.68% plus the contractual spread for the new indebtedness. |
41
|
|
|
Had interest rates been 0.125% higher during the year ended
December 31, 2005, the impact on the variable rate
indebtedness would have caused pro forma interest expense to
increase by $0.2 million. |
|
|
|
|
(7) |
Reflects the effect on interest expense of the retirement of the
11% mortgage notes: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
(In thousands) | |
Deductions to historical
interest expense:
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense related to
retirement of the 11% mortgage notes repaid from proceeds from
our offering of 6.375% senior notes, proceeds from
$970.0 million term B loan of the amended and restated
senior secured credit facility and $95.0 million from cash
on hand, at actual historical amounts
|
|
$ |
(8,824 |
) |
Interest expense related to
amortization of deferred offering costs of the 11% mortgage
notes, at actual historical amounts
|
|
|
(299 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Net pro forma decrease to
historical interest expense
|
|
$ |
(9,123 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(8) |
Reflects the elimination of interest income earned in relation
to $120.0 million of existing cash balances used to redeem
$120.0 million in aggregate principal amount of VMLs
floating rate senior secured notes. |
|
|
(9) |
Reflects the effect on interest expense of the redemption of
$120.0 million in aggregate principal amount of VMLs
floating rate senior secured notes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended | |
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
|
(In thousands) | |
Adjustments to historical
interest expense:
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense related to
VMLs $120.0 million in aggregate principal amount of
floating rate senior secured notes redeemed from cash on hand,
at actual historical amounts
|
|
$ |
(2,888 |
) |
Interest expense related to
amortization of deferred offering costs of VMLs senior
secured notes, at actual historical amounts
|
|
|
(578 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Net pro forma decrease to
historical interest expense
|
|
$ |
(3,466 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(10) |
Reflects the elimination of the related loss on early retirement
of debt for $120.0 million of VMLs senior secured
notes. |
42
PRINCIPAL AND SELLING STOCKHOLDERS
|
|
|
Beneficial Ownership of Our Common Stock |
The following table sets forth information with respect to the
beneficial ownership of our common stock, as of
February 24, 2006, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of
the shares of our common stock in this offering, in each case,
held by:
|
|
|
|
|
each person known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than
5% of our common stock; |
|
|
|
our chief executive officer and our four other most highly
compensated officers; |
|
|
|
each of our directors; |
|
|
|
all of our executive officers and directors as a group; and |
|
|
|
each selling stockholder. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares of Common Stock | |
|
Shares | |
|
Shares of Common Stock | |
|
|
Beneficially Owned Prior | |
|
Being | |
|
Beneficially Owned After | |
|
|
to the Offering(1) | |
|
Offered(2) | |
|
the Offering(1)(2) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Name of Beneficial Owner(3) |
|
Shares | |
|
Percent (%) | |
|
|
|
Shares | |
|
Percent (%) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Sheldon G. Adelson(4)(5)(7)(8)
|
|
|
266,786,807 |
|
|
|
75.3 |
% |
|
|
55,000,000 |
|
|
|
211,786,807 |
|
|
|
59.8 |
% |
Sheldon G. Adelson 2005 Family
Trust(5)
|
|
|
229,217,920 |
|
|
|
64.7 |
% |
|
|
40,839,215 |
|
|
|
188,378,705 |
|
|
|
53.2 |
% |
Adelson Family Trusts(6)
|
|
|
37,756,105 |
|
|
|
10.7 |
% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
37,756,105 |
|
|
|
10.7 |
% |
Sheldon G. Adelson 2002 Four Year
LVSI Annuity Trust(7)
|
|
|
30,238,975 |
|
|
|
8.5 |
% |
|
|
12,170,735 |
|
|
|
18,068,240 |
|
|
|
5.1 |
% |
Sheldon G. Adelson 2004 Two Year
LVSI Annuity Trust(8)
|
|
|
7,306,851 |
|
|
|
2.1 |
% |
|
|
1,990,050 |
|
|
|
5,316,801 |
|
|
|
1.5 |
% |
William P. Weidner(9)
|
|
|
5,297,186 |
|
|
|
1.5 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,297,186 |
|
|
|
1.5 |
% |
Bradley H. Stone(10)
|
|
|
1,838,046 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,838,046 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Robert G. Goldstein(11)
|
|
|
1,692,090 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,692,090 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Scott D. Henry(12)
|
|
|
11,087 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,087 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Charles D. Forman(6)(7)(8)(13)
|
|
|
599,248 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
599,248 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Michael A. Leven(13)
|
|
|
3,133 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,133 |
|
|
|
* |
|
James L. Purcell(13)
|
|
|
4,918 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,918 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Irwin A. Siegel(14)
|
|
|
2,868 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,868 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Irwin Chafetz(15)
|
|
|
25,342 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,342 |
|
|
|
* |
|
All executive officers and the
directors of our company as a group (12 persons)(16)
|
|
|
276,269,782 |
|
|
|
78.0 |
% |
|
|
55,000,000 |
|
|
|
221,269,782 |
|
|
|
62.4 |
% |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
A person is deemed to be a beneficial owner of a
security if that person has or shares voting power, which
includes the power to vote or direct the voting of such
security, or investment power, which includes the power to
dispose of or to direct the disposition of such security. A
person is also deemed to be a beneficial owner of any securities
of which that person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership
within 60 days. Securities that can be so acquired are
deemed to be outstanding for purposes of computing such
persons ownership percentage, but not for purposes of
computing any other persons percentage. Under these rules,
more than one person may be deemed a beneficial owner of the
same securities and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial
owner of such securities as to which such person has no economic
interest. Except as otherwise indicated in these footnotes, each
of the beneficial owners has, to our knowledge, the sole voting
and investment power with respect to the indicated shares of
common stock. |
43
|
|
|
|
(2) |
Assumes the underwriters will not exercise their option to
purchase an additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock. |
|
|
(3) |
The address of each person named in this table is c/o Las
Vegas Sands Corp., 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas,
Nevada 89109. |
|
|
(4) |
This amount includes options to purchase 22,961 shares of
our common stock that are vested and exercisable. This amount
excludes 37,756,105 shares of our common stock that
Mr. Adelson transferred to four family trusts established
by Mr. Adelson other than the Sheldon G. Adelson 2005
Family Trust, the Sheldon G. Adelson 2002 Four Year LVSI Annuity
Trust and the Sheldon G. Adelson 2004 Two Year LVSI Annuity
Trust. See footnote (6) below. |
|
|
(5) |
Mr. Adelson beneficially owns 229,217,920 shares of
our common stock as trustee of the Sheldon G. Adelson 2005
Family Trust. Mr. Adelson retains sole dispositive and
voting control over the shares in the trust. If the underwriters
exercise their option to purchase an additional
8,250,000 shares of common stock in full, the maximum
number of shares that would be sold by the Sheldon G. Adelson
2005 Family Trust would be 46,965,097 shares and the
Sheldon G. Adelson 2005 Family Trust would beneficially own
182,252,823 shares, or approximately 51.5% of our common
stock after this offering. |
|
|
(6) |
Mr. Adelsons spouse, Dr. Miriam Adelson, and
Mr. Forman, as trustees of the four family trusts, may each
be deemed to beneficially own the 37,756,105 shares of our
common stock held by the trusts. Dr. Adelson and
Mr. Forman share dispositive and voting control over the
shares in the trusts. Mr. Forman disclaims such beneficial
ownership and this disclosure shall not be deemed an admission
that Mr. Forman is a beneficial owner of such shares for
any purpose. |
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(7) |
Mr. Adelson and Mr. Forman may each be deemed to
beneficially own the 30,238,975 shares of our common stock
held by the Sheldon G. Adelson 2002 Four Year LVSI Annuity Trust
as a trustee of the trust. Mr. Adelson has sole dispositive
control over the shares in the trust. Mr. Forman has sole
voting control over the shares in the trust. Mr. Forman
disclaims such beneficial ownership and this disclosure shall
not be deemed an admission that Mr. Forman is a beneficial
owner of such shares for any purpose. If the underwriters
exercise their option to purchase an additional
8,250,000 shares of common stock in full, the maximum
number of shares that would be sold by this trust would be
13,996,345 shares and the trust would beneficially own
16,242,630 shares, or approximately 4.5% of our common
stock after this offering. |
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(8) |
Mr. Adelson and Mr. Forman may each be deemed to
beneficially own 7,306,851 shares of our common stock held
by the Sheldon G. Adelson 2004 Two Year LVSI Annuity Trust as a
trustee of the trust. Mr. Adelson has sole dispositive
control over the shares in the trust. Mr. Forman has sole
voting control over the shares in the trust. Mr. Forman
disclaims such beneficial ownership and this disclosure shall
not be deemed an admission that Mr. Forman is a beneficial
owner of such shares for any purpose. If the underwriters
exercise their option to purchase an additional
8,250,000 shares of common stock in full, the maximum
number of shares that would be sold by the trust would be
2,288,558 shares and this stockholder would beneficially
own 5,018,293 shares, or 1.4% of our common stock after
this offering. |
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(9) |
This amount includes 23,479 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 20,873 shares of our common stock
that are vested and exercisable. This amount also includes
5,252,834 shares of our common stock that Mr. Weidner
transferred to Weidner Holdings, LLC, a sole member limited
liability company of which Mr. Weidner is the sole member
manager. |
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(10) |
This amount includes 20,544 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 18,264 shares of our common stock
that are vested and exercisable. This amount excludes
1,667,087 shares that Mr. Stone transferred to The
Stone Crest Trust and over which he has no voting or dispositive
control. |
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(11) |
This amount includes 17,609 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 15,655 shares of our common stock
that are vested and exercisable. This amount also includes
1,410,375 shares of our common stock that
Mr. Goldstein transferred to The Robert and Sheryl
Goldstein Trust and 248,451 shares of our common stock that
Mr. Goldstein transferred to The Robert G. Goldstein
Grantor Retained Annuity Trust. Mr. Goldstein may be deemed
to have beneficial ownership of all such shares. |
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(12) |
This amount includes 5,869 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 5,218 shares of our common stock
that are vested and exercisable. |
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(13) |
This amount includes 1,348 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 1,670 shares of our common stock
that are vested and exercisable. |
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(14) |
This amount includes 1,348 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 1,020 shares of our common stock
that are vested and exercisable. |
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(15) |
This amount includes 1,348 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 994 shares of our common stock
that will become vested and exercisable within 60 days. |
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(16) |
This amount includes 80,110 shares of restricted stock and
options to purchase 93,183 shares of our common stock
that are vested and exercisable or will become vested and
exercisable within 60 days. |
Selling Stockholder Relationships
Registration Rights Agreement
Each of the selling stockholders is a party to a registration
rights agreement with us relating to the shares of common stock
they hold. This offering is being made following the exercise by
Mr. Adelson and the trusts he established for the benefit
of his family of their demand rights to cause us to file the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The
other stockholders that are party to this agreement have
piggyback registration rights on any registration for the
account of Mr. Adelson or the trusts that he established.
If the underwriters determine that the number of securities to
be offered would jeopardize the success of this offering, the
number of shares included in this offering will include the
registrable securities of all of the stockholders that are party
to the registration rights agreement participating in this
offering, allocated pro rata among these holders based on the
number of registrable securities that they hold.
Under the registration rights agreement, we are required to
indemnify each selling stockholder and bear all fees, costs and
expenses (except underwriting discounts and selling
commissions), including the fees, costs and expenses of the
selling stockholders, in connection with this offering.
Other Relationships
Mr. Adelson is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Adelson, his family members, and companies controlled
by Mr. Adelson are parties to various agreements and
relationships with our company. For more information, please see
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions
in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
incorporated herein by reference.
45
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
The following summary of the terms of our capital stock is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable
provisions of Nevada law and our amended and restated articles
of incorporation and by-laws. Copies of our amended and restated
articles of incorporation and by-laws are filed as exhibits to
the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Capital Stock
Our authorized capital stock currently consists of
1,000,000,000 shares of common stock and
50,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of
February 24, 2006, we had 354,303,160 outstanding shares of
common stock and no shares of preferred stock outstanding. As of
February 24, 2006, there were approximately 135 holders of
record of our common stock.
Common Stock
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per
share on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders,
including the election of directors. Holders of the common stock
do not have any preemptive rights or cumulative voting rights,
which means that the holders of a majority of the outstanding
common stock voting for the election of directors can elect all
directors then being elected. The holders of our common stock
are entitled to receive dividends when, as, and if declared by
our board out of legally available funds. Upon our liquidation
or dissolution, the holders of common stock will be entitled to
share ratably in those of our assets that are legally available
for distribution to stockholders after payment of liabilities
and subject to the prior rights of any holders of preferred
stock then outstanding. All of the outstanding shares of common
stock are fully paid and nonassessable. The rights, preferences
and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to the
rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock
that may be issued in the future. Nevada gaming laws and
regulations subject holders of our common stock to certain
suitability requirements. See Business
Regulation and Licensing State of Nevada in
our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
incorporated herein by reference. Since we will not receive any
proceeds from the sale of the shares of stock by the selling
stockholders, the prior approval of the Nevada Gaming Commission
of this offering is not required.
Preferred Stock
We are authorized to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of
preferred stock. Our board of directors is authorized, subject
to limitations prescribed by Nevada law and our amended and
restated articles of incorporation, to determine the terms and
conditions of the preferred stock, including whether the shares
of preferred stock will be issued in one or more series, the
number of shares to be included in each series and the powers,
designations, preferences and rights of the shares. Our board of
directors also is authorized to designate any qualifications,
limitations or restrictions on the shares without any further
vote or action by the stockholders. The issuance of preferred
stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a
change in control of our company and may adversely affect the
voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock,
which could have an adverse impact on the market price of our
common stock. We have no current plan to issue any shares of
preferred stock.
Certain Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws and Statutory
Provisions
The provisions of our amended and restated articles of
incorporation and by-laws and of the Nevada General Corporation
Law summarized below may have an anti-takeover effect and may
delay, defer or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that
you might consider in your best interest, including an attempt
that might result in your receipt of a premium over the market
price for your shares.
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Limitation of Liability of Officers and Directors
Nevada law currently provides that our directors will not be
personally liable to our company or our stockholders for
monetary damages for any act or omission as a director other
than in the following circumstances:
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the director breaches his fiduciary duty to our company or our
stockholders and such breach involves intentional misconduct,
fraud or a knowing violation of law; or |
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our company makes an unlawful payment of a dividend or unlawful
stock purchases, redemptions or other distribution. |
As a result, neither we nor our stockholders have the right,
through stockholders derivative suits on our behalf, to
recover monetary damages against a director for breach of
fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from
grossly negligent behavior, except in the situations described
above. Nevada law allows the articles of incorporation of a
corporation to provide for greater liability of the
corporations directors. Our amended and restated articles
of incorporation do not provide for such expanded liability.
Special Meetings of Stockholders
Our amended and restated articles of incorporation provide that
special meetings of stockholders may be called only by the
chairman or by a majority of the members of our board.
Stockholders are not permitted to call a special meeting of
stockholders, to require that the chairman call such a special
meeting, or to require that our board request the calling of a
special meeting of stockholders.
Stockholder Action; Advance Notice Requirements for
Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our amended and restated articles of incorporation provide that
stockholders may not take action by written consent unless such
action and the taking of such action by written consent have
been expressly approved by the board, and may only take action
at duly called annual or special meetings. In addition, our
amended and restated by-laws establish advance notice procedures
for:
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stockholders to nominate candidates for election as a
director; and |
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stockholders to propose topics for consideration at
stockholders meetings. |
Stockholders must notify our corporate secretary in writing
prior to the meeting at which the matters are to be acted upon
or directors are to be elected. The notice must contain the
information specified in our by-laws. To be timely, the notice
must be received at our corporate headquarters not less than
90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first
anniversary of the date of the prior years annual meeting
of stockholders. If the annual meeting is advanced by more than
30 days, or delayed by more than 70 days, from the
anniversary of the preceding years annual meeting, or if
no annual meeting was held in the preceding year or for the
first annual meeting following this offering, notice by the
stockholder, to be timely, must be received not earlier than the
120th day prior to the annual meeting and not later than
the later of the 90th day prior to the annual meeting or
the 10th day following the day on which we notify
stockholders of the date of the annual meeting, either by mail
or other public disclosure. In the case of a special meeting of
stockholders called to elect directors, the stockholder notice
must be received not earlier than 120 days prior to the
special meeting and not later than the later of the
90th day prior to the special meeting or 10th day
following the day on which we notify stockholders of the date of
the special meeting, either by mail or other public disclosure.
These provisions may preclude some stockholders from bringing
matters before the stockholders at an annual or special meeting
or from nominating candidates for director at an annual or
special meeting.
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Election and Removal of Directors
Our board is divided into three classes. The directors in each
class will serve for a three-year term, one class being elected
each year by our stockholders. Our stockholders may only remove
directors for cause. Our board of directors may elect a director
to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of
directors. This system of electing and removing directors may
discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise
attempting to obtain control of us because it generally makes it
more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of our
directors.
Nevada Anti-Takeover Statutes
Business Combinations Act
Under the terms of our amended and restated articles of
incorporation and as permitted under Nevada law, we have elected
not to be subject to Nevadas anti-takeover law. This law
provides that specified persons who, together with affiliates
and associates, own, or within three years did own, 10% or more
of the outstanding voting stock of a corporation cannot engage
in specified business combinations with the corporation for a
period of three years after the date on which the person became
an interested stockholder. The law defines the term
business combination to encompass a wide variety of
transactions with or caused by an interested stockholder,
including mergers, asset sales and other transactions in which
the interested stockholder receives or could receive a benefit
on other than a pro rata basis with other stockholders. With the
approval of our stockholders, we may amend our articles of
incorporation in the future to become governed by the
anti-takeover law. This provision would then have an
anti-takeover effect for transactions not approved in advance by
our board of directors, including discouraging takeover attempts
that might result in a premium over the market price for the
shares of our common stock. By opting out of the Nevada
anti-takeover law, third parties could more easily pursue a
takeover transaction that was not approved by our board of
directors.
Control Shares Act
Nevada law provides that, in certain circumstances, a
shareholder who acquires a controlling interest in a
corporation, defined in the statute as an interest in excess of
a 1/5, 1/3 or 1/2 interest, has no voting rights in the shares
acquired that caused the shareholder to exceed any such
threshold, unless the corporations other shareholders, by
majority vote, grant voting rights to such shares. We may opt
out of this act by amending our by-laws either before or within
ten days after the relevant acquisition of shares. Presently,
our by-laws do not opt out of this act.
Gaming Requirements
Applicable gaming laws impose certain suitability requirements
to holders of our capital stock. See Risk
Factors Risks Associated with Our Las Vegas
Operations Certain beneficial owners of our voting
securities may be required to file an application with and be
investigated by the Nevada gaming authorities, and the Nevada
Gaming Commission may restrict the ability of a beneficial owner
to receive any benefit from our voting securities and may
require the disposition of shares of our voting securities, if a
beneficial owner is found to be unsuitable.
Our amended and restated articles of incorporation provide that
if the Nevada gaming authorities determine at any time that a
holder of our stock or other securities is unsuitable to hold
such securities, then until such securities are owned by persons
found by the Nevada gaming authorities to be suitable to own
them:
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we will not be required or permitted to pay any dividend or
interest with regard to these securities; |
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the holder of these securities will not be entitled to vote on
any matter as the holder of the securities and these securities
will not for any purposes be included in the securities entitled
to vote; and |
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we will not pay any remuneration in any form to the holder of
these securities. |
In addition to the foregoing, our amended and restated articles
of incorporation also provide that the issuance or transfer of
any stock or securities in violation of applicable gaming laws,
including Nevada gaming laws, will be void and that such stock
or securities shall be deemed not to be issued and outstanding
until:
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we cease to be subject to the jurisdiction of the gaming
authorities; or |
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the applicable gaming authorities validate the issuance or
transfer or waive any defect in the issuance or transfer. |
Amendment to Certain Certificate of Incorporation and By-Law
Provisions
Our amended and restated articles of incorporation provide that
amendments to certain provisions of the articles will require
the affirmative vote of the holders of at least
662/3%
of the outstanding shares of our voting stock, namely:
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the provisions requiring a
662/3%
stockholder vote for removal of directors; |
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the provisions requiring a
662/3%
stockholder vote for the amendment, repeal or adoption of our
by-law provisions (described below); |
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the provisions requiring a
662/3%
stockholder vote for the amendment of certain provisions of our
articles of incorporation; and |
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the provisions prohibiting stockholder action by written consent
except under certain circumstances. |
In addition, our amended and restated articles of incorporation
and by-laws provide that our by-laws are subject to adoption,
amendment or repeal either by a majority of the members of our
board or the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than
662/3%
of the outstanding shares of our voting stock voting as a single
class.
The
662/3%
vote will allow the holders of a minority of our voting
securities to prevent the holders of a majority or more of our
voting securities from amending certain provisions of our
amended and restated articles of incorporation and our by-laws.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for the common stock is
American Stock Transfer and Trust Company. Its telephone number
is 212-936-5100.
Listing
Our common stock is listed the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol LVS.
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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
We cannot predict the effect, if any, that market sales of
shares or the availability of any shares for sale will have on
the market price of our common stock. Sale of substantial
amounts of common stock, or the perception that such sales could
occur, may inadvertently affect the market price of our common
stock and our ability to raise equity capital.
Sale of Restricted Shares
As of February 24, 2006, we had 354,303,160 shares of
common stock outstanding. Of these shares of common stock,
262,763,274 shares of common stock held by the selling
stockholders and certain other stockholders following
consummation of this offering (excluding options and assuming
the underwriters will not exercise the option to purchase an
additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock granted to them
by the selling stockholders) will be restricted pursuant to
Rule 144 under the Securities Act, and may not be resold,
in the absence of registration under the Securities Act, except
pursuant to an exemption from such registration, including among
others, the exemptions provided by Rule 144 or 144(k) under
the Securities Act, which rules are summarized below. Of these
shares, (i) 1,078,555 shares will be available for
sale at any time, subject to the volume and other restrictions
of Rule 144, (ii) 1,619,542, 621,745 and 249,519,951
shares will be available for sale 60 days, 90 days and
one year (or earlier if waived by the underwriters) after the
date of this prospectus, respectively, upon the expiration of
the various lock-up
agreements with the underwriters, subject to the volume and
other restrictions of Rule 144, (iii) 8,719,159 shares
will be available for sale at various times after the expiration
of the various lock-up
periods and applicable holding period pursuant to Rule 144,
subject to the volume and other restrictions of Rule 144
and (iv) 1,204,322 shares will be available for sale at
various times after the expiration of the applicable holding
period pursuant to Rule 144, subject to the volume and
other restrictions of Rule 144. There are certain permitted
exceptions to the
lock-up agreements
which are described under
Lock-Up
Agreements below.
Rule 144
In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, a person
or (persons whose shares are aggregated), who has beneficially
owned restricted shares for at least one year, including persons
who may be deemed to be our affiliates, would be
entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of
shares that does not exceed the greater of:
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1.0% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding;
354,303,360 shares were outstanding as of February 24,
2006; or |
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the average weekly trading volume of our common stock on the New
York Stock Exchange during the four calendar weeks before a
notice of the sale on Form 144 is filed with the SEC. |
Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to certain manner of
sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability
of certain public information about us.
Rule 144(k)
Under Rule 144(k), a person who is not deemed to have been
one of our affiliates at any time during the
90 days preceding a sale, and who has beneficially owned
the shares proposed to be sold for at least two years, including
the holding period of any prior owner other than an
affiliate, is entitled to sell these shares without
complying with the manner of sale, public information, volume
limitation or notice provisions of Rule 144.
50
Options
On February 24, 2005, we filed a registration statement on
Form S-8 under the
Securities Act to register 26,344,000 shares of common
stock reserved for issuance or sale under our option plans and
arrangements and 16,809,014 shares of common stock for
resale that were issued upon exercise of options granted under
our 1997 Fixed Stock Option Plan. As of February 24, 2006,
there were outstanding options to purchase a total of
3,921,419 shares of common stock. All of the
26,344,000 shares issued or to be issued upon the exercise
of stock options or settlement of other awards under these plans
after the effective date of the
Form S-8
registration statement are or will be eligible for resale in the
public market without restrictions, subject to Rule 144
limitations applicable to affiliates and the
lock-up agreements
described below. Of the 16,809,014 shares registered for
resale on the
Form S-8
registration statement, 3,028,284 shares had been resold as
of February 24, 2006. The remaining 13,780,730 shares
are subject to the volume restrictions set forth under
Rule 144(e) during any three-month period.
Lock-Up Agreements
The Company, the selling stockholders, our executive officers,
directors and certain other stockholders have agreed with the
underwriters not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant
any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose
of any of their respective shares of common stock or securities
convertible into, exchangeable for, or that represent the right
to receive, shares of common stock or any substantially similar
securities, whether now owned or hereafter acquired (other than,
with respect to the Company, under our employee compensation
plans or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or
exchangeable securities outstanding on the date of the
prospectus), and subject to certain other limited exceptions,
during the following periods:
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for our principal stockholder and the trusts established for the
benefit of our principal stockholder and/or his family, from the
date of the prospectus continuing through the first anniversary
of the date of this prospectus; |
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for the Company and the members of our board of directors (other
than our principal stockholder and management directors), from
the date of the prospectus continuing through the date that is
90 days after the date of this prospectus; and |
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for our executive officers (other than our principal
stockholder), from the date of the prospectus continuing through
the date that is 60 days after the date of this prospectus |
in each case except with the prior written consent of Goldman,
Sachs & Co. Goldman, Sachs & Co. in its sole
discretion may release any of the securities subject to these
lock-up agreements at
any time without notice. The
lock-up agreements by
these persons (other than us) cover an aggregate of
approximately 260,480,397 shares of our outstanding common
stock following the consummation of this offering (excluding
options and assuming the underwriters will not exercise the
option to purchase an additional 8,250,000 shares of common
stock granted to them by the selling stockholders).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, three of our executive officers
that are parties to the lock-up agreements described above may
make offers, sales, agreements to offer or sell, solicitations
of offers to purchase, swaps or other disposal of, or
transactions in, any shares of common stock pursuant to plans
established or which they may establish pursuant to
Rule 10b5-1 of the
Exchange Act during their applicable lock-up period in an amount
not to exceed 500,000 shares of our common stock for each such
executive officer. In addition, one of our directors will be
permitted to pledge his shares of our common stock and sell,
transfer or otherwise dispose of up to 150,000 shares of our
common stock during the applicable lock-up period. Our principal
stockholder and the trusts established for the benefit of our
principal stockholder and/or his
51
family will also be permitted to make charitable contributions
of shares of our common stock worth up to $100 million
during the applicable lock-up period should they chose to do so.
Any lock-up period described above will be automatically
extended if: (1) during the last 17 days of any such
lock-up period we release earnings results or announce material
news or a material event; or (2) prior to the expiration of
any such restricted period, we announce that we will release
earnings results during the
16-day period beginning
on the last day of such lock-up period, in which case the
restrictions described in the preceding paragraph will continue
to apply until the expiration of the
18-day period beginning
on the date of release of the earnings or the announcement of
the material news or material event, as applicable, unless
Goldman, Sachs & Co. waives, in writing, such extension.
Registration Rights
We have granted registration rights to our principal stockholder
and certain trusts for the benefit of our principal stockholder
and/or his family, who will collectively beneficially own
approximately 249,519,951 shares upon consummation of this
offering (excluding options and assuming the underwriters will
not exercise the option to purchase an additional
8,250,000 shares of common stock granted to them by the
selling stockholders). Under certain circumstances our principal
stockholder and the trusts can require us to file registration
statements that permit them to re-sell their shares. In
addition, we have granted certain piggyback registration rights
to certain of our current and former senior executive officers.
Our principal stockholder and the trusts have exercised a demand
right to cause us to file the registration statement to which
this prospectus relates. For more information, see
Principal and Selling Stockholders Selling
Stockholder Relationships in this prospectus and
Certain Relationships and Related Party
Transactions Registration Rights Agreement in
our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
incorporated herein by reference.
52
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR
NON-U.S. HOLDERS
The following summary describes the material U.S. federal
income tax and estate tax consequences of the ownership and
disposition of shares of our common stock purchased pursuant to
this offering by a holder that is a
non-U.S. holder as
we define that term below. This discussion does not address all
aspects of United States federal income or estate taxation that
may be relevant to a
non-U.S. holders
decision to purchase shares of our common stock and is limited
to persons that will hold the shares of our common stock as
capital assets generally, property held
for investment within the meaning of
Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the Code). In addition, this summary does
not deal with foreign, state and local tax consequences that may
be relevant to
non-U.S. holders
in light of their personal circumstances. This summary does not
address the tax treatment of special classes of
non-U.S. holders,
such as banks, insurance companies, tax-exempt entities,
financial institutions, broker-dealers, persons holding our
common stock as part of a hedging or conversion transaction or
as part of a straddle, partnerships (including any
entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax
purposes) or other pass-through entities, controlled
foreign corporations, passive foreign investment
companies, persons subject to the alternative minimum tax
or U.S. expatriates. Furthermore, the discussion below is
based upon the provisions of the Code, U.S. Treasury
regulations, judicial opinions, published positions of the
U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) and
other applicable authorities, all as in effect on the date of
this prospectus and all of which are subject to differing
interpretations or change, possibly with retroactive effect,
which could result in federal tax consequences that are
materially different from those discussed below. We have not
sought, and will not seek, any ruling from the IRS or opinion of
counsel with respect to the tax consequences discussed in this
prospectus. Consequently, the IRS may disagree with or challenge
any of the tax consequences discussed in this prospectus.
We urge you to consult your own tax advisor concerning the
U.S. federal, state or local income tax and federal, state
or local estate tax consequences of your ownership and
disposition of shares of our common stock in light of your
particular situation as well as any consequences arising under
the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction or under any
applicable tax treaty.
As used in this discussion, a
non-U.S. holder
means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock who is
not, for U.S. tax purposes:
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a citizen or individual resident of the United States; |
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a corporation, including any entity treated as a corporation for
U.S. tax purposes, created or organized in or under the
laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of
Columbia; |
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an estate, the income of which is subject to United States
federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
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a trust: |
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(1) that is subject to the primary supervision of a
U.S. court and that has one or more United States persons
who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of
the trust; or |
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(2) that has validly elected to be treated as a
U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes under
applicable Treasury regulations. |
The test for whether an individual is a citizen or resident of
the U.S. for U.S. federal estate tax purposes differs
from the test used for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
53
If a partnership (including any entity treated as a partnership
for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or other pass-through
entity holds our shares, the tax treatment of a partner in or
owner of the partnership or pass-through entity will generally
depend upon the status of the partner or owner and the
activities of the partnership or pass-through entity. If you are
a partner or owner of a partnership or other pass-through entity
that is considering holding shares, you should consult your tax
advisor.
Payment of Dividends
We do not presently anticipate paying cash distributions on
shares of our common stock. For more information, please see
Dividend Policy. In the event that we do pay
distributions on our common stock, however, these distributions
generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income
tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated
earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal
income tax principles. To the extent that the amount of any
distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and
profits, such distribution will be treated first as a tax-free
return of capital to the extent of the
non-U.S. holders
basis in its common shares and then as a capital gain. Any
amounts treated as a tax-free return of capital in accordance
with the preceding sentence will cause a reduction in the basis
of the common shares (thereby increasing the amount of gain, or
decreasing the amount of loss, that may be recognized by the
non-U.S. holder on
a subsequent disposition of the common shares).
If dividends are paid on shares of our common stock these
dividends will generally be subject to withholding of
U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% of the gross
amount, or any lower rate that may be specified by an applicable
income tax treaty if we have received proper certification of
the application of that income tax treaty.
Non-U.S. holders
should consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to
benefits under an applicable income tax treaty and the manner of
claiming the benefits of such treaty. A
non-U.S. holder
that is eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal
withholding tax under an income tax treaty may obtain a refund
or credit of any excess amounts withheld by filing an
appropriate claim for a refund with the IRS.
Dividends that are effectively connected with a
non-U.S. holders
conduct of a trade or business in the U.S. or, if provided
in an applicable income tax treaty, dividends that are
attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the
non-U.S. holder in
the U.S., are not subject to U.S. withholding tax, but are
instead taxed in the manner applicable to U.S. persons. In
that case, we will not have to withhold U.S. federal
withholding tax, provided that the
non-U.S. holder
complies with applicable certification and disclosure
requirements. In addition, dividends received by a foreign
corporation that are effectively connected with the conduct of a
trade or business in the U.S. may also be subject to a
branch profits tax at a 30% rate, or any lower rate as may be
specified in an applicable income tax treaty.
Sale or Exchange
A non-U.S. holder
will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax,
including by way of withholding, on gain recognized on a sale,
exchange or other disposition of shares of our common stock
unless any one of the following is true:
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the gain is effectively connected with the
non-U.S. holders
conduct of a trade or business in the United States and, if an
applicable tax treaty applies, is attributable to a permanent
establishment maintained by the
non-U.S. holder in
the U.S., in which case, the branch profits tax discussed above
may also apply if the
non-U.S. holder is
a corporation; |
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a non-U.S. holder,
who is an individual, is present in the United States for
183 days or more in the taxable year of sale, exchange or
other disposition and some additional conditions are met; or |
54
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the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, or
FIRPTA, rules are applicable because: |
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our common stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest
by reason of our status as a United States real property
holding corporation (USRPHC) for
U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the
shorter of the period during which you hold our common stock or
the five-year period ending on the date on which you dispose of
shares of our common stock; and |
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assuming that our common stock constitutes a U.S. real
property interest and is treated as regularly traded on an
established securities market (within the meaning of applicable
Treasury regulations), you held, directly or indirectly, at any
time within the five-year period preceding the disposition, more
than 5% of our common stock. |
The determination of whether we are a USRPHC depends on the fair
market value of our U.S. real property interests relative
to the fair market value of our interests in real property
located outside the U.S. and the fair market value of our other
business assets. We can give no assurances that we are not a
USRPHC. In addition, even if we are not a USRPHC at the present
time, since the determination of USRPHC status in the future
will be based upon the composition of our assets from time to
time, there can be no assurance that we will not be or become a
USRPHC in the future. However, as indicated above, so long as
our stock is treated as regularly traded on an
established securities market (within the meaning of applicable
Treasury regulations), in the opinion of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind,
Wharton & Garrison LLP our common stock will not be
treated as a U.S. real property interest for a particular
holder who disposes of common stock unless such holder holds,
directly or indirectly, at any time within the five-year period
preceding the disposition, more than 5% of our common stock. We
currently expect that our common stock will continue to be
traded on the New York Stock Exchange and regularly quoted by
brokers and/or dealers making a market in such common stock
within the meaning of applicable Treasury regulations. Based on
the assumption that our expectations set forth in the previous
sentence are, and in the future continue to be, correct, in the
opinion of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
our common stock should be treated as regularly
traded for purposes of the FIRPTA rules. You should
consult your own tax advisor regarding the application of the
FIRPTA rules discussed above to a disposition by you of our
common stock.
Individual
non-U.S. holders
who are subject to U.S. tax because the holder was present
in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the year of
disposition are taxed on their gains, including gains from the
sale of shares of our common stock and net of applicable
U.S. losses from sale or exchanges of other capital assets
incurred during the year, at a flat rate of 30%. Other
non-U.S. holders
who may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the
disposition of our common stock will be taxed on such
disposition in the manner applicable to U.S. persons. In
addition, if any of this gain is taxable because we are a USRPHC
and the selling holders ownership of our common stock
exceeds 5%, the buyer of our common stock may be required to
withhold a tax equal to 10% of the amount realized on the sale.
Federal Estate Tax
Shares of our common stock owned or treated as owned by an
individual who is not a United States citizen or resident for
U.S. federal estate tax purposes will be included in that
holders estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes,
and may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax, unless an
applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
Under U.S. Treasury regulations, we must report annually to
the IRS and to each
non-U.S. holder
the amount of dividends paid to that holder and the tax withheld
with respect to those dividends. These information reporting
requirements apply even if withholding was not
55
required because the dividends were effectively connected
dividends or withholding was reduced or eliminated by an
applicable tax treaty. Under an applicable tax treaty, that
information may also be made available to the tax authorities in
the country in which the
non-U.S. holder
resides or is established.
The gross amount of dividends paid to a
non-U.S. holder
that fails to certify its
non-U.S. holder
status in accordance with applicable U.S. Treasury
regulations or to otherwise establish an applicable exemption
generally will be reduced by any backup withholding tax that may
be imposed.
The payment of the proceeds of the disposition of our common
stock by a
non-U.S. holder to
or through the U.S. office of a broker generally will be
reported to the IRS and reduced by backup withholding unless the
non-U.S. holder
either certifies its status as a
non-U.S. holder in
accordance with applicable U.S. Treasury regulations or
otherwise establishes an exemption and the broker has no actual
knowledge, or reason to know, to the contrary. The payment of
the proceeds on the disposition of our common stock by a
non-U.S. holder to
or through a
non-U.S. office of
a broker generally will not be reduced by backup withholding or
reported to the IRS. If, however, the broker is a
U.S. person or has specified connections with the United
States, unless some conditions are met, the proceeds from that
disposition generally will be reported to the IRS, but not
reduced by backup withholding.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts
withheld under the backup withholding rules will be refunded or
credited against the
non-U.S. holders
U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that
certain required information is furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. holders
should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application
of the information reporting and backup withholding rules to
them and the availability and procedure for obtaining an
exemption from backup withholding under current
U.S. Treasury regulations.
The above discussion is included for general information
only. You should consult your tax advisor with respect to the
U.S. federal income tax and federal estate tax consequences
of the ownership and disposition of our common stock, as well as
the application and effect of the laws of any state, local,
foreign or other taxing jurisdiction.
56
UNDERWRITING
The Company, the selling stockholders and the underwriters named
below, have entered into an underwriting agreement with respect
to the shares being offered. Subject to certain conditions, each
underwriter has severally agreed to purchase the number of
shares indicated in the following table. Goldman,
Sachs & Co. is the representative of the underwriters.
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Underwriters |
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Number of Shares | |
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Goldman, Sachs &
Co.
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38,074,555 |
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Citigroup Global Markets
Inc.
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3,970,300 |
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Lehman Brothers Inc.
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3,970,300 |
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Jefferies & Company,
Inc.
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1,928,495 |
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Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner &
Smith
Incorporated
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1,928,495 |
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Morgan Stanley & Co.,
Incorporated
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1,928,495 |
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J.P. Morgan Securities
Inc.
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1,079,180 |
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UBS Securities LLC
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1,079,180 |
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Calyon Securities (USA) Inc.
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347,000 |
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Samuel A. Ramirez & Company,
Inc.
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347,000 |
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Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.
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347,000 |
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Total
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55,000,000 |
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The underwriters are committed to take and pay for all of the
shares being offered, if any are taken, other than the shares
covered by the option described below unless and until this
option is exercised.
If the underwriters sell more shares than the total number set
forth in the table above, the underwriters have an option to buy
up to an additional 8,250,000 shares from the selling
stockholders to cover such sales. They may exercise that option
for 30 days. If any shares are purchased pursuant to this
option, the underwriters will severally purchase shares in
approximately the same proportion as set forth in the table
above.
The following table shows the per share and total underwriting
discounts and commissions to be paid to the underwriters by the
selling stockholders. Such amounts are shown assuming both no
exercise and full exercise of the underwriters option to
purchase 8,250,000 additional shares.
Paid by the Selling Stockholders
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No Exercise | |
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Full Exercise | |
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Per Share
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$ |
1.1055 |
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$ |
1.1055 |
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Total
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$ |
60,802,500.00 |
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$ |
69,922,875.00 |
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Shares sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be
offered at the public offering price set forth on the cover of
this prospectus. Any shares sold by the underwriters to
securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to
$0.6633 per share from the public offering price. Any such
securities dealers may resell any shares purchased from the
underwriters to certain other brokers or dealers at a discount
of up to $0.0000 per share from the public offering price.
If all the shares are not sold at the public offering price, the
representative of the underwriters may change the offering price
and the other selling terms.
57
The Company, the selling stockholders, our executive officers,
directors and certain other stockholders have agreed with the
underwriters not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant
any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose
of any of their respective shares of common stock or securities
convertible into, exchangeable for, or that represent the right
to receive, shares of common stock or any substantially similar
securities, whether now owned or hereafter acquired (other than,
with respect to the Company, under our employee compensation
plans or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or
exchangeable securities outstanding on the date of the
prospectus), and subject to certain other limited exceptions
during the following periods:
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for our principal stockholder and the trusts established for the
benefit of our principal stockholder and/or his family, from the
date of the prospectus continuing through the first anniversary
of the date of this prospectus; |
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for the Company and the members of our board of directors (other
than our principal stockholder and management directors), from
the date of the prospectus continuing through the date that is
90 days after the date of this prospectus; and |
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for our executive officers (other than our principal
stockholder), from the date of the prospectus continuing through
the date that is 60 days after the date of this prospectus |
in each case except with the prior written consent of Goldman,
Sachs & Co. Goldman, Sachs & Co. in its sole
discretion may release any of the securities subject to these
lock-up agreements at
any time without notice. The
lock-up agreements by
these persons (other than us) cover an aggregate of
approximately 260,519,681 shares of our outstanding common stock
following the consummation of this offering (excluding options
and assuming the underwriters will not exercise the option to
purchase an additional 8,250,000 shares of common stock granted
to them by the selling stockholders).
These agreements do not apply to any existing employee benefit
plans. See Shares Eligible for Future Sale for a
discussion of certain transfer restrictions.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, three of our executive officers
that are parties to the lock-up agreements described above may
make offers, sales, agreements to offer or sell, solicitations
of offers to purchase, swaps or other disposal of, or
transactions in, any shares of common stock pursuant to plans
established or which they may establish pursuant to
Rule 10b5-1 of the
Exchange Act during their applicable lock-up period in an amount
not to exceed 500,000 shares of our common stock for each such
executive officer. In addition, one of our directors will be
permitted to pledge his shares of our common stock and sell,
transfer or otherwise dispose of up to 150,000 shares of
our common stock during the applicable lock-up period. Our
principal stockholder and the trusts established for the benefit
of our principal stockholder and/ or his family will also be
permitted to make charitable contributions of shares of our
common stock worth up to $100 million during the applicable
lock-up period should they chose to do so.
Any lock-up period under the
lock-up agreements will
be automatically extended if: (1) during the last
17 days of such lock-up period we release earnings results
or announce material news or a material event; or (2) prior
to the expiration of such lock-up period, we announce that we
will release earnings results during the
16-day period beginning
on the last day of such restricted period, in which case the
restrictions described in the preceding paragraph will continue
to apply until the expiration of the
18-day period beginning
on the date of release of the earnings or the announcement of
the material news or material event, as applicable, unless
Goldman, Sachs & Co. waives, in writing, such extension.
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase
and sell shares of common stock in the open market. These
transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions
and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short
sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number
of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering.
58
Covered short sales are sales made in an amount not
greater than the underwriters option to purchase
additional shares from the selling stockholders in the offering.
The underwriters may close out any covered short position by
either exercising their option to purchase additional shares or
purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source
of shares to close out the covered short position, the
underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of
shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to
the price at which they may purchase additional shares pursuant
to the option granted to them. Naked short sales are
any sales in excess of such option. The underwriters must close
out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open
market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if
the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward
pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market
after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase
in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various
bids for or purchases of common stock made by the underwriters
in the open market prior to the completion of the offering.
The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when
a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of
the underwriting discount received by it because the
representative has repurchased shares sold by or for the account
of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering
transactions.
Purchases to cover a short position and stabilizing transactions
may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the
market price of our stock, and together with the imposition of
the penalty bid, may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the
market price of the common stock. As a result, the price of the
common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might
exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced,
they may be discontinued at any time. These transactions may be
effected on the New York Stock Exchange, in the
over-the-counter market
or otherwise.
Each of the underwriters has represented and agreed that:
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it has not made or will not make an offer of shares to the
public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of
section 102B of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
(as amended) (FSMA) except to legal entities which are
authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or,
if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is
solely to invest in securities or otherwise in circumstances
which do not require the publication by the company of a
prospectus pursuant to the Prospectus Rules of the Financial
Services Authority (FSA); |
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it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will
only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or
inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning
of section 21 of FSMA) to persons who have professional
experience in matters relating to investments falling within
Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act
2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in
which section 21 of FSMA does not apply to the
Company; and |
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it has complied with, and will comply with all applicable
provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in
relation to the shares in, from or otherwise involving the
United Kingdom. |
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area
which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a Relevant
Member State), each underwriter has represented and agreed that
with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus
Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the
Relevant Implementation Date) it has not made and will not make
an offer of shares to the public in that Relevant Member State
prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the
shares which has been approved by the competent authority in
that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in
another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent
authority in that Relevant Member State, all in
59
accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may,
with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date,
make an offer of shares to the public in that Relevant Member
State at any time:
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to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate
in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated,
whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities; |
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to any legal entity which has two or more of (1) an average
of at least 250 employees during the last financial year;
(2) a total balance sheet of more than
43,000,000 and
(3) an annual net turnover of more than
50,000,000, as shown
in its last annual or consolidated accounts; or |
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in any other circumstances which do not require the publication
by the Issuer of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the
Prospectus Directive. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an
offer of shares to the public in relation to any
shares in any Relevant Member State means the communication in
any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms
of the offer and the shares to be offered so as to enable an
investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the shares, as the
same may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure
implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Relevant Member
State and the expression Prospectus Directive means
Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing
measure in each Relevant Member State.
The shares may not be offered or sold by means of any document
other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell
shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent, or in
circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public
within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of
Hong Kong, and no advertisement, invitation or document relating
to the shares may be issued, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere,
which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be
accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if
permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other
than with respect to shares which are or are intended to be
disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to
professional investors within the meaning of the
Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong and any
rules made thereunder.
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the
Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus
and any other document or material in connection with the offer
or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the
shares may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the shares
be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for
subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to
persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional
investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures
Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the SFA),
(ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to
Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions,
specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise
pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other
applicable provision of the SFA.
Where the shares are subscribed or purchased under
Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
(a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor) the
sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire
share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each
of whom is an accredited investor; or (b) a trust (where
the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is
to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited
investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures
of that corporation or the beneficiaries rights and
interest in that trust shall not be transferable for six months
after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares
under Section 275 of the SFA except: (1) to an
institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a
relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1
A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in
Section 275 of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is
given for the transfer; or (3) by operation of law.
60
The shares have not been and will not be registered under the
Securities and Exchange Law of Japan (the Securities and
Exchange Law) and each underwriter has agreed that it will not
offer or sell any shares, directly or indirectly, in Japan or
to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as
used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any
corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan),
or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly,
in Japan or to a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an
exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise
in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law and any
other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of
Japan.
We are required to bear all fees, costs and expenses (except
underwriting discounts and selling commissions), including the
fees, costs and expenses of the selling stockholders, in
connection with this offering. The Company and the selling
stockholders estimate that the total expenses of the offering
borne by the Company will be approximately $1.25 million.
The Company and the selling stockholders have agreed to
indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities,
including liabilities under the Securities Act.
The underwriters and their respective affiliates have, from time
to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various
financial advisory and investment banking services for us, for
which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.
Affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co., Citigroup
Global Markets Inc. and Lehman Brothers Inc. are
acting as agents, and along with Merrill Lynch, Pierce,
Fenner & Smith, Incorporated, Morgan
Stanley & Co., Incorporated, J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc. and UBS Securities LLC (or their
respective affiliates), may act as lenders under VMLs
proposed $2.5 billion senior secured credit facility. In
addition, certain of the underwriters or their respective
affiliates (i) acted as underwriters in our initial public
offering, (ii) acted as initial purchasers of our senior
notes issued in February 2005 and of Las Vegas Sands Opcos
mortgage notes issued in June 2002, (iii) acted as a
financial advisor in our sale of The Grand Canal Shops mall and
the Phase II mall, (iv) acted as initial purchasers in
connection with the floating rate senior secured notes offered
by our subsidiary, Venetian Macau Finance Company,
(v) acted as lenders under our prior secured mall facility
and the Interface Group-Nevada mortgage loan, (vi) were
agents and/or lenders under Las Vegas Sands Opcos prior
senior secured credit facility, (vii) were agents and/or
lenders under Las Vegas Sands Opcos senior secured credit
facility in August 2004, (viii) are agents and/or lenders
under Las Vegas Sands Opcos amended and restated senior
secured credit facility in February 2005 and (ix) were the
dealer manager in the tender offer for Las Vegas Sands
Opcos 11% mortgage notes.
LEGAL MATTERS
Lionel Sawyer & Collins, Las Vegas, Nevada, will pass
upon the validity of the common stock offered by this prospectus
for us. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP,
New York, New York, will pass upon certain other matters for us.
Latham & Watkins LLP, New York, New York, will pass
upon certain matters for the underwriters.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements and managements
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting (which is included in Managements
Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting)
incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual
Report on
Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2005 have been so incorporated in
reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an
independent registered public accounting firm, given on the
authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
61
INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA
Industry data and other statistical information used throughout
this prospectus or incorporated herein by reference are based on
independent industry publications, government publications,
reports by market research firms or other published independent
sources. Some data are also derived from our review of internal
surveys, as well as the independent sources listed above.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange
Act, and file reports, proxy statements and other information
with the SEC. We have also filed with the SEC a registration
statement on
Form S-1 to
register this offering. This prospectus, which forms part of the
registration statement, does not contain all of the information
included in that registration statement. For further information
about us and our securities, you should refer to the
registration statement and its exhibits. You may read and copy
any document we file with the SEC at the SECs Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.
Copies of these reports, proxy statements and information may be
obtained at prescribed rates from the Public Reference Section
of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.
Please call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330 for
further information on the operation of the Public Reference
Room. In addition, the SEC maintains a web site that contains
reports, proxy statements and other information regarding
registrants, such as us, that file electronically with the SEC.
The address of this web site is http://www.sec.gov.
You should rely only upon the information provided or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not
authorized anyone to provide you with different information. You
should not assume that the information in this prospectus is
accurate as of any date other than that on the front cover of
this prospectus.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the
information that we file with it, meaning we can disclose
important information to you by referring you to those documents
already on file with the SEC. The information incorporated by
reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. We
incorporate by reference the following document:
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our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2005, filed on March 2, 2006. |
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner,
to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of the report that has
been incorporated by reference in this prospectus, at no cost.
Any such request may be made by writing or telephone us at the
following address or phone number:
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
Attention: General Counsel
Telephone: (702) 414-1000
This document may also be accessed through our internet web site
at www.lasvegassands.com or as described under Available
Information above.
62
No dealer, salesperson or
other person is authorized to give any information or to
represent anything not contained in this prospectus. You must
not rely on any unauthorized information or representations.
This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares offered
hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where
it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this
prospectus is current only as of its date.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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55,000,000 Shares
Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Common Stock
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Citigroup
Lehman Brothers
Jefferies & Co.
Merrill Lynch & Co.
Morgan Stanley
JPMorgan
UBS Investment Bank