Sheldon Adelson Is ‘Mystery Buyer’ In New York Mets Sale

There have been reports of a “mystery bidder” for the New York Mets circling around the sale process for the last few weeks. Now, according to a report from the New York Post, we know that bidder to be Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.

According to the report, Adelson and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners aren’t bidding on the team on their own, rather they are joining the group led by Josh Harris and David Blitzer in pursuit of buying the team.

The 86-year-old Adelson, who is the founder, chariman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands corporation, is worth a reported $30 billion. Silver Lake Partners operates a $43 billion fund. Adding the two to the Harris and Blitzer group makes for an interesting showdown with reported current top bidder Steve Cohen.

The fact that Adelson is not bidding for the team outright could be due to the fact that his background in the gambling business might give him a “difficult time getting through the approval process by MLB owners” according to the report. The report notes that if he is a limited partner in the team, the process wouldn’t be as arduous.

The news of Adelson and Silver Lake Partners joining comes after news earlier this week of a group of several big-name athletes joining Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez’s bid. The bidding for ownership of the Mets continues, with the first round of bidding over.