Dr Miriam Adelson, the widow of Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson who passed away in January, has debuted at No 24 on the Forbes 400 List of America’s Richest People.
With a net worth estimated at US$30.4 billion, Dr Adelson is the highest ranked of 44 new additions to the list in 2021, having inherited her husband’s 57% stake in LVS earlier this year. She is also one of only two casino magnates on the list ahead of Steve Wynn, founder of Wynn Resorts, who ranks 358th with a US$3.3 billion fortune. Wynn stepped down as Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts in February 2018 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
The 75-year-old Dr Adelson – born in Israel in 1945 – has long been a key political player in the United States, donating tens of millions to the republican party over the years alongside her husband. They met in 1989 and were married in 1991, with Dr Adelson penning a heartfelt tribute to her late husband after he lost his lengthy battle with cancer.
Topping this year’s Forbes 400 List of America’s Richest People is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with a net worth of US$201 billion, ahead of Tesla’s Elon Musk with US$190.5 billion and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg with US$134.5 billion. Rounding out the top five are Microsoft founder Bill Gates with US$134 billion and Google’s Larry Page with US$123 billion.
