Las Vegas Sands (LVS) chief exec Sheldon Adelson (pictured) hit the jackpot in 2013.
The gambling tycoon's net worth soared $15 billion, or 68%, through Friday. He is now worth just over $37 billion, and he's climbed from the nation's 11th richest this fall to No. 5 at the moment.
Put another way, his fortune grew by a staggering $41 million a day.
Adelson added more to his fortune than any other person, thanks largely to the success of his casinos in Macau and Singapore, which led to stellar financial results. Not even canceling plans to open a Sands casino in Madrid could dampen his year.
The gambling tycoon's net worth soared $15 billion, or 68%, through Friday. He is now worth just over $37 billion, and he's climbed from the nation's 11th richest this fall to No. 5 at the moment.
Put another way, his fortune grew by a staggering $41 million a day.
Adelson added more to his fortune than any other person, thanks largely to the success of his casinos in Macau and Singapore, which led to stellar financial results. Not even canceling plans to open a Sands casino in Madrid could dampen his year.
The second biggest gainer, in dollar terms, was Facebook's (FB) Mark Zuckerberg. Shares of the social network shot past its 2012 IPO price for the first time in July and the firm joined the S&P 500 on Friday.
Still not 30 years old, Zuckerberg is worth nearly $26 billion, more than double what he was worth a year ago. That means that in percentage terms, he actually beat out Adelson (though Ubiquiti Networks' (UBNT) Robert Pera has bragging rights as the American billionaire with biggest percentage gain in 2013, up 200%).
Still not 30 years old, Zuckerberg is worth nearly $26 billion, more than double what he was worth a year ago. That means that in percentage terms, he actually beat out Adelson (though Ubiquiti Networks' (UBNT) Robert Pera has bragging rights as the American billionaire with biggest percentage gain in 2013, up 200%).
Amazon (AMZN) chief Jeff Bezos, whose fortune has more than doubled in the past two years, also had a stellar year, adding $13.3 billion, or 53 times the sum he paid for The Washington Post in August.
The full list of the top 10 biggest dollar gainers in the U.S., measured from Dec. 31, 2012 through Dec. 20, 2013, is listed below.
2013 biggest gainers in dollar terms
1. Sheldon Adelson
Net worth: $37.2 billion
Up: $15 billion (+68%)
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $25.8 billion
Up: $13.6 billion (+112%)
3. Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $36.9 billion
Up: $13.3 billion (+56%)
4. Warren Buffett
Net worth: $60 billion
Up: $12.1 billion, (+25%)
5. Christy Walton
Net worth: $37.5 billion
Up: $10.7 billion (+ 40%)
6. S. Robson Walton
Net worth: $35 billion
Up: $10.1 billion (+ 41%)
7. Alice Walton
Net worth: $35 billion
Up: $10.1 billion (+ 40%)
8. Jim Walton
Net worth: $35.5 billion
Up: $10 billion (+ 39%)
9. Larry Page
Net worth: $30.5 billion
Up: $9.4 billion (+ 26%)
10. Bill Gates
Net worth: $74.1 billion
Up: $9.3 billion (+ 14%)
Thanks to Scott DeCarlo for building and maintaining our insider database screen and for putting together this year-end scorecard. Please note: Members of the Walton family got a one-time boost from a year ago due to a change in control of the shares held by their late mother's trust.
