Michael
"Sheldon Adelson"
Corleone
The GodfatherNet Worth: $28 billion
Source: Casinos
Residence: Las Vegas
Age: 74
Marital Status: Divorced, remarried; 5 children
Cabdriver's son borrowed $200 from uncle to sell newspapers at age 12.
Studied voice in teens, later dropped out of City College in New York City to become court reporter.
Made first fortune in trade shows.
Created computer industry's marquee event, Comdex, mid-1980s; sold show to Japan's Softbank for $862 million 1995.
Then Vegas: bought Sands Hotel & Casino for $128 million, demolished it to build the $1.5 billion all-suites Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the 1.2-million-square-foot Sands Convention Center.
Changed the way casinos do business by enticing conventioneers to Sin City midweek, taking emphasis off gambling.
Sold suites for $250 a night, added high-end retailers, celebrity-chef restaurants.
Took Las Vegas Sands public December 2004; shares up 260% since.
Nearing completion of $1.8 billion Palazzo resort next to nemesis Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas.
All in on Asia: opened $265 million Sands Macau Casino May 2004, recouped entire investment in one year.
Unveiled $2.4 billion Venetian Macau in August; 10.5-million-square-foot mega-resort features 3,400 slots, 800 tables, 3,000 suites and a convention center.
Won coveted Singapore gaming license last year; building $3.6 billion Marina Bay Sands on 51-acre site with a view of city's skyline.
