Billionaire with Las Vegas ties nominated as next US ambassador to Italy

David Danzis, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Dec 23, 2024

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President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a billionaire with Las Vegas ties as the next United States ambassador to Italy, according to a Saturday announcement.

Tilman Fertitta, 67, is the chairman, chief executive officer and owner of Landry’s Inc., the Houston-based hospitality and entertainment company which operates three Golden Nugget casino hotels in Nevada, located in downtown Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Laughlin.

Fertitta is the largest shareholder of Wynn Resorts Ltd., according to financial records. In November, he increased his ownership to 9.9%, which amounts to roughly 10.9 million shares of the Las Vegas-based gaming and hospitality corporation.

He is also the cousin of Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, the chairman of Las Vegas-based Red Rock Resorts, Inc., and chief executive officer of Station Casinos, respectively.

In 2022, Fertitta received approval from Clark County officials to develop a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The proposed 43-story, 2,420-room hotel is cleared to go up on a 6.2-acre site at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, but work has yet to begin in earnest.

Fertitta purchased the NBA’s Houston Rockets and the team’s home arena for $2.2 billion in 2017. He has been pushing to bring an NHL franchise to Houston.

In the ambassadorship announcement, Trump called Fertitta an “accomplished businessman” and touched on the latter’s philanthropic efforts.

Fertitta, a former television reality personality who appeared on “Billion Dollar Buyer,” has no political or diplomatic experience but has long been a campaign donor. Public finance reports show he has contributed money to candidates of both major parties, although the bulk goes to Republican politicians, including millions of dollars to GOP officials in his home state of Texas.

In 2020, Fertitta donated $140,000 to Trump’s unsuccessful reelection campaign and contributed $5,600 to President Joe Biden. Earlier this year, Fertitta hosted a fundraising event for Trump at his Post Oak Hotel in Houston.

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