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Reviewed By Casino owners are among the richest people in the world. That prompted us 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.
Tips
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.
Fun fact
Las Vegas Sands is unique in that it has its own aircraft to take care of the travel facility of VIPs visiting it.
7 High-Profile Billionaire Casino Owners
Let’s go deeper into the lives and careers of the most successful billionaires from gambling.
Be aware
Our presented stories are no invitation to irresponsible play. You should exercise caution when gambling online. Play for fun instead of profits, no matter how attractive the latter might seem. The top casino owners listed here have taken gambling as a real business, so at most you could learn from them in this respect!
Miriam Adelson
| 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.
The Adelsons’ political affiliation
Miriam and Sheldon prosper good ties with the American Republican party, especially with Trump, and are known as their mega-donor. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the year 2018.
Sheldon Reveals his wealth and legacy
Denise Coates
| 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
| 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
| 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.
Pansy Ho received Chevalier de L’Ordre National de la Légion d’ Honneur
In 2009, Pansy Ho was bestowed with the Chevalier de L’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, the highest French order of merit for her contribution to the French-Chinese relationship in trade, tourism, and culture and arts.
Steve and Elaine Wynn
| 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.
Why did they separate?
In 1986, after 23 years together, their marriage ended due to his alleged sexual misconduct. They remarried in 1991 and again divorced in 2010.
Elaine Wynn testifies against Steve Wynn
Tilman Fertitta
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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.
What all pro players have in common is winning a little over 50% of their bets by playing with a well-defined strategy.
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.
