Las Vegas links

Friday, March 11, 2005 | 2:01 a.m.

19. Sheldon Adelson, $15.6 billion, controls Las Vegas Sands Inc., owner of The Venetian, the Sands Expo and Convention Center and a casino venture in Macau.

32. The Mars family, $10.4 billion, owns Henderson-based Ethel M. Chocolates. The candy heirs include Forrest Edward Mars Jr., Jacqueline Mars and John Franklyn Mars.

35. Pierre M. Omidyar, $9.9 billion, a 37-year-old computer programmer and Henderson resident, was responsible for launching the Internet auction site eBay.

41. Kirk Kerkorian, $8.9 billion, owner of MGM Mirage, is now taking over Mandalay Resort Group.

49. Carl Icahn, $7.8 billion, owns the landmark Stratosphere hotel-casino as well as the Arizona Charlie's casinos. Forbes lists the source of his fortune as leveraged buyouts.

228. Donald Trump, $2.6 billion, is a New York-based developer turned reality show celebrity. A veteran of the Atlantic City casino industry, he is planning a Las Vegas condo-hotel project.

306. Steve Wynn, $2.1 billion, founder of Wynn Resorts Ltd., will open his new megaresort -- Wynn Las Vegas -- on the Strip this year. He also is building a casino in Macau.

437. Jackson Thomas Stephens and family, $1.5 billion, control an Arkansas investment bank. Holdings include Stephens Media Group, which owns the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

507. David A. Duffield, $1.3 billion, is the co-founder of the software company PeopleSoft. He is an Incline Village resident.

507. Phil Ruffin, $1.3 billion, owns the New Frontier, which sits on prime Strip real estate.

507. William Boyd, $1.3 billion, operates Boyd Gaming, which merged with Coast Casinos last year.

584. Edward Roski Jr., $1.1 billion, chief executive of Majestic Realty Co., owns the Silverton.