The list below is a series of brief introductions to some of the major and principal online and land-based casino owners in the world. Their histories are often entertaining and motivational for many of us, and it always helps to have an idea of who exactly is behind all of the games, sites, or locations that you enjoy. We hope you find the following information useful and that you check back often to see our newest additions!
Stanley Ho
Also known as "Ho Hung-sun," Ho is a famous entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. Sometimes labeled the "King of gambling" (Ho held a government-mandated monopoly on Chinese gambling for over 35 years), Forbes magazine ranked Ho the 151st richest man in the world in 2005 with an estimated worth of $3.6 billion. He owns eight casinos outright including the biggest in Macau, Casino Lisboa, controls 15 of the city's 17 casinos, and continues to invest and diversify his portfolio through interest in airlines, banking, tourism, shipping and other industries.
Donald Trump
"The Donald," as so many people know him, is not only famous for his development projects, TV show and the scads of NYC skyscrapers that bear his name, but he's also a major figure in the casino industry with his publicly held "Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts" company. The owner of four casinos, the most notable being the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, Trump has suffered several setbacks lately - having to "fire" himself even as CEO - but he remains one of the most prominent and easily recognizable figures in the business and still is worth over $2.6 billion.
Sheldon Adelson
Topping Forbes' list of gaming billionaires, Adelson has a net worth of over $11.9 billion. He's built The Venetian, Sands Expo convention center and Sands Macau, and is currently building Palazzo, a new mega resort across the street from The Venetian in Las Vegas, as well as a new Venetian Macau. He is also developing six new casinos along the Macau strip. The son of a taxi driver, Adelson first hit the jackpot with the December offering of his Las Vegas Sands. The stock rose 61 percent in one day but has since sunk to a 51-week low, forcing Andelson to pump his own cash into the venture.
Kirk Kerkorian
Worth approximately $9.5 billion, the former WWII pilot and director of MGM Mirage recently took over the Mandalay Resort Group and now controls nearly half of all Las Vegas's hotel rooms. Kerkorian is credited by many as having been the main driver behind the Las Vegas boom. Forbes ranks Kerkorian 41st on its list of the world's richest people.
The Gibraltar Gang of Four: Anurag Dikshit, Ruth Parasol, Russell DeLeon, and Vikrant Bhargava
Gambling's newest tycoons are four Gibraltar-based residents who took their online gaming company, PartyGaming, public on the London exchange in June. These online-gambling newcomers are worth a combined $8 billion. Parasol founded the precursor company in 1997 after reportedly running porn sites. She brought on Dikshit to develop proprietary software in 1998. Parasol and her husband DeLeon now consult, while Dikshit runs the group and Bhargava oversees marketing.
