By JEFF ZELENY

and JIM RUTENBERG

| The New York Times

Las Vegas • Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino executive keeping Newt Gingrich’s presidential hopes alive, has relayed assurances to Mitt Romney that he will provide even more generous support to his candidacy if he becomes the Republican nominee, several associates said in interviews here.

The signals from Adelson, whose politics are shaped in large part by his support for Israel, reflect what the associates said was his deep investment in defeating President Barack Obama and his willingness to play a more prominent role in the Republican Party and conservative causes.

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The assurances have been conveyed in response to a highly delicate campaign by Romney and his top Jewish financial supporters to dissuade Adelson from adding to the $10 million that he and his wife have given to a pro-Gingrich super PAC, Winning Our Future, that has been tearing into Romney through television advertising.

Several people who have spoken with Adelson over the past two weeks said he would most likely continue to help the group as long as Gingrich remained in the race. But, they said, he is concerned that additional deep-pocketed donors have not joined him. And, they said, his affection for and loyalty to Gingrich, who met with him here on Friday, have not blinded him to the reality that the nominating contest is tilting in Romney’s favor.

"Sheldon is committed to keeping him in the race as long as he wants to stay in," said Fred Zeidman, a top fundraiser for Romney and a longtime friend of Adelson. "But any time that Newt decides to get out of the race, he would devote his energy and money to the overriding issue, which is beating Barack Obama."

Underscoring Adelson’s devotion to that larger cause, he was among the conservative political financiers on hand last weekend for the twice-yearly gathering of the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch near Palm Springs, Calif., where the Kochs and their like-minded colleagues discussed their efforts to ensure Obama’s defeat.

Adelson, who has long been a behind-the-scenes financier to Republican candidates, is said to be comfortable with a more visible role in the 2012 election. His decision to back the pro-Gingrich group has significantly raised his profile, but friends say he does not want his aid to Gingrich to be interpreted as anti-Romney.

The Winning Our Future super PAC, has mostly run vitriolic television commercials questioning Romney’s character.

"He saw a friend who needed and wanted help," said an associate who talks to Adelson regularly, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid upsetting him. "I don’t think it’s likely that he’s going to fund Newt’s death march to Tampa," the site of the Republican National Convention, "but if there is a realistic perception that he can help make his candidacy viable, he will."

Adelson declined to be interviewed.

His role is especially pronounced in Las Vegas, where his opulent and highly successful Venetian and Palazzo casinos dot the busy skyline.

His connection with Gingrich goes back years, built on a shared passion for protecting Israel. But associates of Adelson said that he was concerned about the Obama agenda more broadly and that his support for Gingrich’s candidacy was rooted in a belief that his lofty ideas and forceful approach were right for the challenging times.

Gingrich, whose campaign treasury is severely depleted, is being advised by his inner circle to spend the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday on March 6 resting up, getting Romney’s attacks out of his head and recalibrating his campaign message to highlight his positive ideas.

But his aides acknowledge that Adelson’s support will be critical to his ability to seriously challenge Romney, who appeared to be in a strong position for contests in several states this month.

Gingrich and Adelson met Friday afternoon in the Bellini Ballroom of the Venetian Hotel as part of a "Friends of Newt" meeting. Gingrich and his wife, Callista, stayed four nights at the hotel, which Adelson owns, but aides said the two men had met only once among a small group of donors and had not discussed the super PAC.

In a brief interview after the meeting, Gingrich said Adelson had been vital in giving Winning Our Future the wherewithal to counter the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, which had relentlessly attacked him in Iowa.

"He’s been a partial match for the Romney super PAC," Gingrich said. "That’s important because, otherwise, the Romney super PAC would have driven us off the field."