Entertainment and gaming are some of the most basic human needs. And it is logical to assume that business empires are built on satisfying these needs. Israeli descendants own a large number of these empires.
Let’s look at who runs global brands with billions of dollars in revenues, which bring pleasure and entertainment to millions of customers.
Michael Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment
Mike Morhaime was born in 1967 and studied at UCLA. He is best known for his role as the co-founder and president of Blizzard Entertainment. Since sixth grade, he was on his way to this when he and his brother and sister bought a video game console. He discovered that the console could be programmed and became fascinated with creating various games.
After graduation, he, along with Allen Adham and Frank Pearce, created the studio we know today as the creator of Warcraft II, World of Warcraft (WoW), Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, StarCraft.
Gary Kaplan, BetonSports.com
Born in New York City, Gary grew up in Brooklyn. And interestingly enough, he is one of the few successful businessmen to have been kicked out of school in his day. In 1993 he moved to Florida and noticed that entertainment entrepreneurs moved to the Caribbean. So in 1995, Gary moved to Costa Rica and began building his business.
With a marketing strategy that was radically different from the competition, he was able to turn his business into a $1.24 billion industry in 2003. His company was one of the biggest in the American market in the 2000s. His strategy is now being replicated by many brands from Non Gamstop Bookies 2022.
Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands Corporation
Sheldon Adelson exemplifies an impressive background and incredible influence. He is known as the founder and head of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, one of the most prominent organizations in the gambling industry. In addition, he has owned several newspapers and invested in politics and charity. In particular, he founded the Adelson Foundation, a charitable foundation for the people of Israel.
Adelson was born near Boston in 1933. His father drove a taxi, and his mother kept a knitting shop. Sheldon began his career as a businessman at age 12 when he borrowed $200 from his uncle and bought a license to sell newspapers.
He was a typical “serial starter”, starting businesses, passing them on and starting again – he created about 50 companies in his lifetime. His fame as a casino tycoon began in 1988 when he bought the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It was still a regular casino hotel until his wife came up with the idea to create a mega-resort in 1991. The corporation now has annual revenues of US$ 3.612 billion.
Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc
Micky was born in 1949 and founded Carnival Corporation, today the largest cruise operator. He studied at the University of Miami and followed in his father’s footsteps, who ran Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Forbes calculated his fortune in 2011, and it was more than $7 billion, with most of the income coming from equity investments.
Carnival Corporation & plc has a fleet of more than 100 ships operated by 10 cruise brands. Annual revenue is US$5.595 billion.
Bernie Goldstein, Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc.
Bernie Goldstein was a lawyer and entrepreneur. He is called the father of river gambling because he invented and implemented organizing gambling on ships. He attended the University of Illinois and worked at his stepfather’s metalworking plant for a long time. Bernie also set up his own business – scrap metal barges.
In 1989, Bernie saw the promise of river gambling and launched the first casinos on the Mississippi. His company now operates in 6 states and sees around 2 million visitors a year. In 2008, revenue was US$1.13 billion.
Jake Kozloff, Frontier hotel & casino
Jake Kozloff was born in Russia in 1901. In 1905 his family emigrated to the United States, Pennsylvania. In the 1930s, he ran the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company, then sold it and moved to Las Vegas. There he saw the potential of casinos and began investing in several gambling houses.
Jake Kozlov had a habit of working as a manager at the casinos where he invested. That is how he managed Thunderbird, Frontier, Golden Nugget. These are all legendary names in the gambling industry and Las Vegas history.
Bugsy Siegel, Flamingo casino and Murder, Inc
Bugsy Siegel is a legendary figure in US, casino and Mafia history. He was one of the first mobster celebrities, and he made Las Vegas as we know it today.
Siegel was born in Brooklyn to a poor Ashkenazi family who had emigrated from Galicia (Poland and Ukraine area). Finding his parents’ honest way wrong, Bugsy left school and joined a gang. That’s where his fame began.
America has always treated charismatic criminals in a particular way. Bugsy became the hero of dozens of films and TV series devoted to the Jewish-Italian, that is, the American Mafia.
Sid Wyman, Las Vegas casinos
Sid was born in 1910 to a Jewish family in Missouri. He was known as a poker player and owner of several casinos such as Sands, Riviera, Royal Nevada, and The Dunes. In 1979 he entered the Poker Hall of Fame.
Not as much is written about him as it is about Bugsy Siegel. But there is a notable fact: The entire Las Vegas Strip gambling resort was suspended for 2 minutes in Sid’s honour.
Steve Wynn, Wynn Resorts
Steve Wynn is a property developer, art collector and owner of luxury casinos and hotels. He was born in Connecticut in 1942; his father owned a chain of bingo halls in the eastern United States. Steve graduated from a public school, then the University of Pennsylvania, with a degree in English Literature.
A “non-serious” bachelor grade didn’t stop him from becoming a successful property developer, casino operator and businessman. He was involved in building and managing such famous brands as the Golden Nugget, the Mirage, the Bellagio, and the Las Vegas Strip. In addition, he has long run the Wynn Resorts empire.
Well, we hope that these 9 names, without which it’s hard to imagine today’s entertainment culture, will serve as inspiration for your impressive career.
