The World’s Top 3 Richest Casino Owners
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The casino industry makes billions every year from both physical locations & online platforms, with leading casinos contributing significantly to these impressive figures.
It’s not hard to envision the immense wealth possessed by the owners of these establishments, given the vast amounts of money coming through a casino every day.
Although the aftermath of the global pandemic dealt a severe blow to the casino industry, without the reliance on the online gambling sector, it is conceivable that the industry could have completely folded.
According to Forbes’ latest World’s Billionaires list, a few casino owners who were previously on the list no longer qualify as they no longer possess assets valued at a minimum of one billion dollars. However this doesn’t disqualify them from our list, despite the pandemics severe impact, they continue to amass vast fortunes.
Frequently, multiple casino brands are owned by a single person, which is why the wealthiest casino owners possess net worths in the billions. These entrepreneurs are adept at diversifying and expanding their resources, investing not only in casino gambling but also in sectors such as real estate, tourism, banking, politics, and more.
As the adage goes, the rich keep getting richer, and our compilation of the world’s wealthiest casino owners serves as evidence of this phenomenon.
We will start with number 1, as we all know you’re dying to know who the richest is…
Sheldon Adelson
Achieving a fortune as substantial as Adelson’s – a net worth of $29.8 billion – necessitates astute business acumen. Serving as the CEO and chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp, Adelson retained ownership of over half of the company’s shares, securing the 28th position on the Forbes list. His entrepreneurial journey commenced at a tender age of 12 when he acquired his first newspaper vendor’s license using borrowed funds, setting the stage for the launch of 50 businesses over the years.
By the time Adelson was 30 he attained millionaire status and solidified his position among billionaires when he acquired the Sands hotel in 1988. The Sands Corporation surpasses the combined worth of all American casino companies and reportedly generates approximately $32 million in daily revenue.
Apart from the Las Vegas Sands, Adelson also owns notable establishments such as the Venetian Casino Las Vegas, Palazzo Casino Resort Las Vegas, Sands Casino Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, and the Sands Expo and Convention Center—the first privately owned convention center in the United States.
On an international scale, Adelson’s empire encompasses the Marina Bay Casino in Singapore and the Venetian Casino Resort Macau, the largest casino establishment globally. Whilst having endeavors in other industries, there is no escaping the impressive resume of Adelson, he was the richest casino owner in the US and indeed the world at the time of his death in January 2021.
Lui Che Woo
Though not originally making his wealth within the casino world, Lui became initially incredibly wealthy through a career as a property developer in Singapore, Hong Kong & China. Lui went into the casino industry significantly later than a lot of others on this list; in 2002 he entered the Macau casino market when he was 73 – impressive to say the least. Opening up his first Galaxy Entertainment (one of Macau’s largest mega resorts around) in 2011, Lui now owns 6 casinos. Not stopping there the mega resort is due for an upgrade to expand the already extravagant venture into a 16,000 seat stadium and new hotel.
At the impressive age of 92, Lui is demonstrating that age is clearly just a number, as he continues to grow his portfolio, currently sitting with a net worth of around $19 Billion, and expand into the Japanese casino scene next.
Stanley Ho
Stanley Ho made a huge impression on the gambling industry particularly in China (before his passing in 2020) as the original Macau’s ‘Gambling King’. After moving to Macau at the beginning of World War II, though the gambling scene was already established, Ho’s extravagant plans elevated it to the extreme to becoming one of the world’s most premium gambling destinations.
Stanley, by 2019, owned 22 of the 41 casinos active in Macau – one of which being the famous Casino Lisboa. It would be apt to point out that this incredibly successful businessman had a large family, spanning 17 children, some of which have also gone on to follow in their father’s footsteps. Despite his passing, the legacy Ho left behind is still very much a part of Macau’s way of life – specifically when it is estimated 25% of the population there works for one of Ho’s businesses.
While Stanly Ho’s fortune may be relatively modest ($7 Billion) compared to Lui Che Woo and Sheldon Adelson, who have amassed vast wealth, there is undeniable recognition for the significant impact all three have had on the luxurious, glamorous, and immensely prosperous casino industry, cementing their status as legendary figures.
