Famous Billionaires from gambling

The Wealthiest Billionaires from Gambling

11 min

Casino owners are among the richest people in the world. Our CasinoAlpha IE experts made use of our casino industry analysis, which drove our team of authors to highlight the wonderful stories of 13 billionaires from gambling in a listing that goes deeper than the surface level.

13 Billionaires from Gambling

Rank Casino owner Age Net worth Best known for
1 Miriam Adelson 76 years $27.5 billion Las Vegas Sands
2 Lui Che Woo 93 years $13 billion Macau casinos
3 Denise Coates 54 years $6.5 billion Bet365 online casino
4 Tilman Fertitta 65 years $6.1 billion Gold Nugget casinos
5 Mark Scheinberg 49 years $5.3 billion Co-founder of PokerStars
6 Johann Graf 75 years $4.7 billion Novomatic
7 Pansy Ho 59 years $4.3 billion Macau hotels and casinos
8 James Packer 54 years $3.8 billion Crown Resorts
9 Steve Wynn 80 years $3.2 billion Co-founder of Wynn Resorts
10 Elaine Wynn 80 years $2.3 billion Current owner of Wynn Resorts
11 William Boyd 70 years $1.6 billion Boyd Gaming Corporation
12 Bill Benter 65 years $1 billion Professional gambler
13 Kazuo Okada 79 years $1 billion Former chairman of Universal Entertainment

How Profitable is a Casino Business?

Casinos can be a very profitable business if managed correctly, as our 13 billionaires from gambling prove with their land-based and online operations.

Not all casino owners are billionaires, and getting a casino business rolling is no easy task.

The lion’s share in the industry is reserved to high-end casinos like those in Las Vegas or Macau. However, those who operate legally and provide a top-level service still have a great potential for success in the industry.

Some of the listed casino owners are linked with online casinos that we recommend ourselves, for example PokerStars Casino.

The revenue of casinos is mainly derived from the house edge, defined as a percentage of the amount which casinos earn from each game.

What are the most profitable games for casino owners?

Land-based slots are the most profitable games for casino owners, with a house edge of up to 20%. The edge for other games varies between 0.4% to 20%.

Online slots sites tend to have better payouts, and a house edge of up to 5%, because an online platform can derive its profits from a diverse game catalogue and doesn’t need to pay for rent, electricity, waiters and other land-based expenses. For players, Blackjack is the most profitable casino game. It’s known for its lowest casino advantage, which ranges between 0.4% and 1.5% depending on strategy and the variant you play.

The highest grossing casino

Founded by Sheldon Adelson and now owned by Miriam Adelson, Las Vegas Sands is the world’s top casino, with total revenue of $13.74 billion.

7 High-Profile Billionaire Casino Owners

Let’s go deeper into the lives and careers of the most successful billionaires from gambling.

Miriam Adelson

Miriam Adelson
Source: i24news.tv
Overview Facts
Most famous casino Las Vegas Sands
Base profession Physician
Political affiliation Republican party (US)
Gambling profits (2021) $4.2 billion

Miriam Adelson: the wealthiest of Las Vegas casino owners

Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino kingmaker Sheldon Adelson, became the owner of the world’s largest casino Las Vegas Sands when he died in January 2021.

She is one of the top billionaires from gambling with a net worth of $27.5 billion.

Sheldon Reveals his wealth and legacy

Denise Coates

Denise Coates
Source: ft.com
Overview Facts
Most famous casino Bet365 Online Casino
Base profession Business
Political affiliation
Gambling profits (2021) $2.8 billion

Denise Coates: highest-paid boss in Britain

The highest-paid casino owner in the gambling industry, Denise Coates, has an approximate salary of $508 million per year.

She launched bet365 in 2001. The betting site gave her the renown of a pioneer investor in the potential of online gambling.

The investment paid off and in 2016, bet365 became one of the world’s biggest and highest-grossing online casinos.

Topping the Sunday Times’ tax list

At the beginning of her journey in the industry, Denise Coates couldn’t find any venture capitalist to invest in her project. She started her website with the help of a loan of £15 million from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Now she stands at the top of the Sunday Times tax list for the third consecutive year. In January 2022, her family paid approximately $550 million as tax.

James Packer

James Packer
Source: bbc.com
Overview Facts
Most famous casino Crown Resorts
Base profession Business
Political affiliation Australian Labour Party
Gambling profits (2021) AUD 114.1 million

James Packer, one of the richest Australians

James Packer, son of media mogul Kerry Packer, is Australia’s richest casino owner and investor.

Although he is a media person, he amassed most wealth from the casino industry, especially from Crown Resorts.

His Crown Resorts in Melbourne and Perth had approximately 31 million visits in 2016, although a third of its revenue was generated in Asian countries.

A real example of humanity

Pansy Ho

Pansy Ho
Source: celebritynetworth.com
Overview Facts
Most famous casino Casinos in Macau
Base profession Real estate
Political affiliation Liberal Party in Hong Kong
Gambling profits (2021) $4.1 billion

Pansy Ho: The Richest of Macau Casino Owners

The daughter of Stanley Ho, the undisputed king of China’s gambling Mecca, Pansy Ho followed in her father’s footsteps and is now the richest casino owner in Macau.

Presently, Pansy Ho owns the most profitable casinos in Macau and holds major shares in MGM China and SJM Holdings.

She also owns Shun Tak Holdings, a company in Hong Kong with core business interests ranging from shipping, real estate, hospitality, and investments.

Steve and Elaine Wynn

Steve and Elaine Wynn
Source: wsj.com
Overview Facts
Most famous casino Wynn Resorts
Base profession Real Estate and Philanthropy
Political affiliation The Republican Party
Gambling profits (2021) $3.764 billion

Casino moguls Steve and Elaine Wynn

Steve and Elaine Wynn founded the Mirage Resorts, eventually acquired by MGM Grand and Wynn Resorts. Their combined net worth is $5.5 billion.

Wynn Resorts operates many luxury hotels and casinos across the US.

Elaine Wynn testifies against Steve Wynn

Tilman Fertitta

Tilman Fertitta
Source: tmc.edu
Overview Facts
Most famous casino Golden Nugget Casino
Base profession Construction Business, Author
Political affiliation The Democratic Party
Gambling profits (2021) $128.2 million

Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, the top iGaming operator in New Jersey

Tilman Fertitta, the owner of Landry’s Inc., a chain of 600 hotels, restaurants, and casinos, is an American billionaire businessman and one of the most successful casino owners.

He entered the casino industry after taking over Golden Nugget casinos in 2005. He received the top iGaming operator of the year award for four consecutive years.

‘Don’t follow your passion’

Mark Scheinberg

Mark Scheinberg
Source: highstakesdb.com
Overview Facts
Most famous casino PokerStars
Base profession Investor
Political affiliation
Gambling profits (2021)

Mark Scheinberg, richest person on the Isle of Man

Mark Scheinberg is the co-founder and former CEO of PokerStars, one of the world’s largest online platforms for poker and online gambling, controlling two-thirds of the online poker market.

Scheinberg sold PokerStars to Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion in 2014, and he pocketed 75% of the deal, approximately $3 billion.

PokerStars hosted the biggest online poker tournament in 2000

PokerStars hosted the first largest tournament with 149,196 participants in 2000. In 2001, the number of participants increased to 200,000 and in 2013 it reached 225,000.

The Only Billionaire Gambler: Bill Benter

Bill Benter
Source: sportmagazine.it
Overview Facts
Born 1957, age 65 years
Birth City Pittsburgh
Gambling specialty Horse betting
Best winnings More than $50,000 per race

Who is Bill Benter?

Bill Benter is an American billionaire gambler, known as ‘the man who broke the horse racing code’.

His mathematics skills aided him in developing his own analysis model, popularly known as Benter’s model, that he would successfully use for horse racing predictions and value betting.

Gamblers today still use this model for horse betting.

Bill Benter’s professional gambling journey

The Most Successful Gambler in Ireland’s History: Noel Furlong

Noel Furlong
Source: racingpost.com
Overview Facts
Born December 25, 1937
Birth City Dublin
Died June 27, 2021
Gambling specialty Poker, Horse betting
Other interests Owned a carpet distribution company

Notable facts of his life

  • Noel Furlong is a notable poker player
  • He won a $1 million prize in the 1999 World Series of Poker
  • Noel started playing poker in 1984, and he soon became a familiar face in several poker tournaments
  • Noel won the Irish Poker Open, the largest tournament after WSOP, in 1987 and 1989
  • He also amassed wealth (approximately $1.5 million) from horse betting
  • Professionally, he was a manufacturer and distributor of carpets

7 Richest Gamblers Yet to Reach Billionaire Status

Pro Gamblers Age Net Worth Gambling expertise
Terry Ramsden 70 $11 million Horse betting
Kerry Packer Died at the age of 68 $6.5 billion Poker, roulette
Archie Karas 71 $1.5 million Poker
William T. Walters 76 $200 million Sports betting
Edward Thorp 90 $800 million Blackjack
Tony Bloom 52 $1.3 billion Sports betting
Matthew Benham 52 $300 million Sports betting

How Much Do Professional Gamblers Make?

A professional gambler’s salary varies along with their luck, so we can’t give an exact average.

The values are different from country to country and from city to city. Still, according to our estimates, the yearly payout of a professional gambler ranges between $29,000 and $61,000.

The gamblers presented here have crossed this number bigtime.

Can Gambling Be a Way to Earn Your Living?

The gambling industry is popular for its sudden ups and downs, and not everyone can make money from it.

To be successful, you must at all times be aware of your odds and the risks involved.

The most successful gamblers possess:

  • A proper mindset
  • Patience
  • Discipline
  • Great analytical and mathematical skills

Can You Join the Group of Billionaires from Gambling?

A professional approach to gambling is essential to becoming successful.

Gamblers like Bill Benter with a strong vision and intelligence attained billionaire status not only for his intelligence, but sizable investments as well.

For most people, these investments are impossible, so it would be better if you kept your interest in gambling for only entertainment purposes.

F.A.Q.

Is there any billionaire who loves gambling?

Not many know that billionaire Jeff Bezos loves to gamble in his spare time.

Can gambling make you rich?

Yes, many people around the world tried their fortune in gambling and won big.

Who owns most of the casinos in the world?

Las Vegas Sands Corporation the US owns several casinos in the US and Asia.

Which is the wealthiest casino in the world?

MGM Resorts in America is the highest-grossing casino, with more than $6 billion in revenues. 

Is owning a casino profitable?

Owning a casino is profitable because ‘the house always wins’. Due to the house edge, a casino owner will always have an advantage over players and will profit in the long run.

Authors
Cosmin Brehoi
AuthorCosmin BrehoiAuthor & Editor at Casino alpha

Since forever a student of life and a writer at his core, Cosmin loves to place bets on football matches in his free time. Combining the art of prediction and a rigorously trained intuition, he has joined the iGaming world to promote a responsible and data-driven approach to sports betting.

Adina Minculescu
ReviewerAdina MinculescuSenior Author & Editor at Casino alpha

Adina’s methodical way of thinking is what gamblers need to understand the casino market. With her expertise in this niche combined with her studies in linguistic typology and hermeneutics, she will be able to help you make informed decisions. Let her be your trustworthy guide!