Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson is putting a lot on his plate. In the midst of a major casino development in Singapore, Adelson told the Miami Herald that he plans to invest in a Las Vegas-style casino hotel and entertainment complex in South Florida, potentially Miami or Ft. Lauderdale.

As a result of the recession, Florida legislators are contemplating licensing full-fledged casinos throughout the state. Representative Ellen Bogdanoff, a strong gambling opponent, said the gaming expansion is on its way and the state would rather create five to seven casino resorts rather than give the Seminole Tribe exclusive gaming rights.

A beaconing tourist destination, Adelson said that South Florida is a prime location.

“We’re not interested in putting up slot parlors or a gambling den,” Adelson told the Herald. “We want destinations and integrated resorts.”

Adelson said it could be a $3 billion project and bring 7,000 desperately needed jobs to the state, and giving the gaming rights to the tribe would cost Florida jobs, revenue and regulatory control. Bogdanoff said the stigma surrounding gambling will not disappear and the legislature needs to ensure that it creates competition in the industry. This comes at the hands of a stalemate on negotiations among lawmakers for a tribal pact on gambling in the state.

As of December 2009, Las Vegas Sands was the world’s leading casino-based company with a market capitalization of $10.12 billion. In 2007, it was worth $43.7 billion, making Adelson the third richest person in the United States. Las Vegas Sands currently encompasses the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, the Sands Expo Convention Center and the Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino in Paradise, Nevada; the Sands Macao and the Venetian Macao Resort-Hotel in Macau, China; the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and the Marina Bay Sands Singapore in Marina Bay, Singapore is currently training casino dealers and due early this year.