The gambling industry is among the most thriving sectors worldwide, giving us many millionaire richest casino owners. While Trump or Wynn are popular names, many others made fortunes through smart investments. Adelson, Fertitta, Che-Woo, Busujima, Ho, Graff, Paulson, and Packer are the wealthiest casino owners, with Adelson achieving total assets of around 30 million dollars, or Ho, owning over half of the casino gambling houses active in Macau. Among the most famous and wealthiest casino owners in the world are:
Henry Williams, founder of Pokieslab, large gambling hub with the best Australian online casinos reviews, states:
“You can be one of the richest casino owners in the world and know nothing about the gambling market, you can be the most powerful expert and have “zero cents” in your pocket. The choice is yours, but whoever managed to combine both one and the second skill deserves praise.”
Top 10 Richest Casino Owners in the World & Net Worth
While the majority aspire to attain substantial wealth, moguls lead opulent lifestyles due to their success in casino gambling. Business acumen is a pivotal factor in accumulating such riches, although a fraction of fortune is not to be discounted. There is a huge list of the wealthiest casino owners in the world with shocking net worth data.
#1. Miriam Adelson
First in our list of richest casino owners – Miriam Adelson – american-Israeli physician Miriam received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson’s widow gained her Bachelor of Sciences focusing on microbiology and genetics. She’s been researching drug abuse while supporting many causes with her philanthropic work. Born in 1945, net worth is $32.1 billion.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: Las Vegas Sands nowadays boasts a 13.74 billion dollar turnover. Two years ago, Las Vegas Sands sold its iconic Las Vegas assets, including the Sands Expo, the Convention Center, and the Venetian Resort, for an exceptional $6.25 billion. According to Forbes, Adelson’s stake of around 57% is estimated at over 35 billion dollars.
#2. Lui Che-Woo
For Lui Che Woo, age is a number. This investor/philanthropist decided to enter the gambling industry much later. He began his business ventures as a supplier to construction sites. He later expanded through new ventures in real estate development in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Lui donated $1.2 billion to his foundation, including the Lui Che Woo Award. Born in 1929, as one of the wealthiest casino owners, net worth is $12.3 billion.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: The Chairman and Managing Director of K. Wah International Holdings Limited, Lui, entered the Macau casino market at 73. His Galaxy Entertainment now owns six establishments in Macau. In 2011, it opened Galaxy Macau, which features over 1,500 slot machines plus 600 table games, while Lui plans on expanding this resort into a 16,000-seat stadium/hotel.
#3. Tilman Fertitta
Tilman Fertitta’s another one among the biggest casino owners in the world. He started by peeling shrimp as a teenager. He owns Landry’s Inc., which has 600 hotels, entertainment companies, and restaurants. He is also a reality TV star and a best-selling author. Born in 1957, net worth is $7.7 billion.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: Fertitta’s Landry Inc. has owned Golden Nugget Casinos since 2005. Las Vegas casino brand offers pools, spas, museums, and entertainment options. Landry’s has also acquired casinos in Atlantic City, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Mississippi. After acquiring nearly seven million shares of Wynn Resorts for $400 million, Fertitta received approval for an upscale resort located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. This resort is situated opposite MGM Resort International’s City Center.
#4. Stanley Ho
Stanley Ho was born in 1921 – died: 2020. However, he experienced poverty as a teenager. He moved to Macau during World War II, which was a good move since he built Macau as an exclusive gambling destination. As one of the richest casino owners in the world his net worth is about $7 billion.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: For 40 years, Ho monopolized casino operations in Macau through his company, SJM Holdings. Ho’s company boasts owning more than half of the casinos in Macau, including a popular Casino Lisboa. Stanley passed away three years ago, leaving 25% of Macau’s population working at his businesses.
#5. Johann Graf
Johann Graf, born in 1947, has $7 billion net worth. As a slot machine king, Graf made his fortune, although everyone thought he’d work for his family’s butcher’s shop. As a young man, Johan would purchase a car on credit and sell it for a profit through a newspaper ad. He started his gaming-related business by importing pinball machines. He founded Novomatic, supplying many well-known slots for over 40 years.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: Novomatic Group company creates slot machines while owning many gambling parlors globally. This gambling business gained Graf 7 million dollars. He started with a pinball manufacturer named Brodnik & Graf GmbH by importing machines to Austria via Belgium. Soon, Novomatic grew to have locations in 50 countries, operating 200,000 gaming terminals and VLTs.
#6. Kunio Busujima
Although gambling is illegal in Japan, this Japanese billionaire still made it because of his interest in manufacturing pachinko machines. Kunio was the honorary company’s chairman for many years, and his son, Hideyuki, now runs it.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: Pachinko Parlors function almost like conventional gambling houses, while Pachinko machine models a pinball-like design with a vertical layout. Sankyo boasts a high place among pachinko machine makers. Kunio is one of the richest casino owners worldwide. Mainly thanks to its fast new model delivery, company sales quickly rose by 54% within a year, while profits rose 68%.
#7. John Paulson
John Paulson is one of the richest casino owners in the world, who worked as an investment banker at Bear Stearns before founding his hedge fund Paulson & Co. He’s mainly known for betting against a subprime mortgage market, earning him a great fortune.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: Paulson’s famous MGM Mirage hall has taken a backseat to his recent focus on expanding into iGaming, specifically sports betting. He’s also sued a former Puerto Rico business partner for charging him exorbitant amounts, including $20,000 for a single night and $147,000 for shopping sprees.
#8. Steve Wynn
At age 15, as one of the richest casino owners worldwide, Steve Wynn entered the entrepreneurial world by selling ice cream while his father owned bingo parlor chains. A family turned to the gambling scene after purchasing a stake in Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1967. However, due to several sexual harassment allegations, Wynn resigned as Wynn Resorts CEO in 2018. So, owner of the Wynn is Steve Wynn.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: In the 1980s, Steve started controlling interest in the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, where he opened a luxury resort named Mirage. He inaugurated Bellagio and expanded his reach into Macau. His other Vegas betting houses included Treasure Island, Encore, and Wynn.
#9. Donald Trump
In 1971, as one of the richest casino owners worldwide, Donald became head of the Trump Organization, dealing with building golf courses, hotels, skyscrapers, and casinos. He owned the Miss Universe pageant while also hosting a reality show. In 1984, he opened the Trump Plaza, marking the beginning of building gambling hubs.
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES: Under his company, Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., he owned numerous establishments, including Trump’s Castle and the Trump Taj Mahal. Both these houses hosted many sporting events, including some legendary boxing matches. As one of the wealthiest casino owners in the world, Trump has earned more than $ 175.6 million in revenue.
Other Biggest Casino Owners in the World: Wealthiest Casino Owners
The global gambling market was estimated at $449 billion and is expected to reach $766 billion by 2026. Several other names realized that investing in this industry is a smart call.
- James Packer: James is a media person, a.k.a Maria Carey’s ex-fiance. Although he inherited a fortune, James also invested well. In 2005, James established Crown Resorts to pursue his casino ambitions. He also owns halls in the UK, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Sri Lanka, plus shares in Melco-Crown.
- Phil Ruffin, one of the richest casino owners in the world, entered the gambling industry by purchasing New Frontier Casino. Although he’d planned to build a new resort, New Frontier was sold for $1.2 billion. Ruffin owns 50% of Trump International Hotel Las Vegas and purchased Circus Circus and Treasure Island. Treasure Island’s business is known to have its value almost doubled.
- Elaine Wynn: Elaine started working at her father-in-law’s bingo hall and continued investing in a casino business with her then-husband. She is an art lover who donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Elaine and her ex-husband Steve launched famous betting houses, including Bellagio, Treasure Island, Mirage, and Wynn Resorts.
- Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III: In 1976, their father opened his first casino and focused his efforts on off-strip casinos, which they continued. Frank and Lorenzo are mainly known for their Nevada casino and hotel industry success. Their company also owns several others in Las Vegas, including Red Rock Resort. Brothers purchased UFC for $2 million and sold it for $5 billion 15 years later.
- Sheldon Adelson: Sheldon began his business journey at 12 when he used borrowed funds to acquire a newspaper vendor’s license. He became a millionaire before turning 30 after attaining the Sands Hotel. Sheldon Adelson made his main income when he founded the Las Vegas Sands gambling chain. In 1996, he demolished it to make a mega-resort, The Venetian. He took his business to China and founded establishments like Sands Macao, Venetian Macao, and The Parisian. Some statistics show that he is one of the biggest casino owners, establishments brought him around 32 million dollars daily.
- Kirk Kerkorian: In 1966, he made a charter flight enterprise, Trans International Airlines, which was later sold for a $104 million profit. Kirk, the founder of MGM Resorts, began in 1962 by purchasing a plot of land in Las Vegas to build gambling halls. Seven years later, after buying a movie studio, he opened MGM Hotel and Casino. A hotel burned down in 1980 but was rebuilt eight months later. Kirk resigned from the MGM Resorts International board in 2011 but remained the largest shareholder with a 19% stake.
- Pansy Ho: Pansy inherited the chair of Shun Tak Holdings, a company that operates ferries between Hong Kong and Macau and runs hotels. She holds significant shareholdings in MGM China and SJM. Pansy is an arts patron and has invested heavily in a cultural outreach program at MGM Cotai. As one of the top casino owners, she is also a vice president of the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association and serves on the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts development committee.
List of Casino Owners: What Do They Own?
Most popular gambling parlors worldwide are owned by a single person or a company that knows how to make beneficial investments and gain remarkable success through their entrepreneurial energy. There is a wide list of casino owners around the world who own the largest gaming outlets.
- Rivers Casino owner is Churchill Downs Inc. and managed by Rush Street Gaming, with around 40 properties and a value of $8.88 billion.
- Kindred Group Plc. owns 32 Red and eight other online gambling brands, with a total value of $19.51 billion.
- 888 Holdings, the owner of 888 Casino, that is worth $972 million. It was founded by Avi Shaked, Aharon Shaked, Ron Ben-Yitzhak, and Shay Ben-Yitzhak.
- Johann Graf owns Admiral Casino, with a net worth of $7 billion, which is part of Novomatic Group and has 2,000 games.
- Anthony Werkman, the CEO of Betway, has a net worth of $4.75 billion. He was promoted from marketing director.
- Golden Globe Hotels Pvt Ltd, owned by Gopal Kanda, operates Big Daddy casino with a value of $5 million. So the Big Daddy casino owner is Golden Globe Hotels.
- Thomas R. Reeg, former CEO of Eldorado Resorts, acquired Caesars Entertainment Corporation for $31.6 million.
- Edward Baltazar Pitoniak heads 5 companies, including VICI Properties Inc., which owns a $14.6 million MGM casino. MGM casino owner is Edward.
- San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ CEO, Laurens Vosloo, leads a company with $74 million in revenue from Yaamava casino ownership.
- Craig Billings, with a net worth of $32 million, owns the Wynn casino, which was opened as a luxury resort by Steve Wynn in 1950.
- Bally’s owner, Robeson Reeves, earned $4.42 million. He served as Bally’s Interactive President after becoming its CEO in 2023.
- Golden Nugget Hotel and Casinos owned by Tilman Fertitta, the CEO of Fertitta Entertainment, Inc., and has a net worth of $7.7 billion.