They now own 17 casinos in the Las Vegas suburbs and are each worth $1.3 billion, riches they parlayed into creating the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a billion-dollar sports empire.

The Fertittas opted to cater to area locals instead of building colossal casinos aimed at out-of-towners. His properties include the Mirage, which he bought from Wynn, and the Mandalay Bay Resorts, which he shelled out $7.9 billion for in 2004. Own more than half of the hotel rooms on the Las Vegas strip. The 90-year-old Kerkorian and his company Kirk Kerkorian and brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta all own casinos in Sin City. In addition to Wynn and Adelson, three other billionaires owe at least part of their fortune to Las Vegas. With gambling illegal in much of the world, the gaming properties of the world's richest are often directly competing with each other. The world of casino billionaires is a small one. Earlier this year, Adelson opened the $1.9 billion Palazzo right next to Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas. They won't be getting away from each other anytime soon. The first casino Adelson built, the $1.5 billion Venetian, is a short walk from the Mirage. The testy relationship is rooted in the casino properties that made them neighbors. Adelson called Wynn an 'egomaniac.' Wynn shot back that Adelson has an 'inferiority complex.' (See: 'The Gambler.') Wynn, the world's 277th-richest person, countered by claiming Adelson isn't building enough parking at his Las Vegas projects and the overflow snatches spaces from his own customers.

Adelson, the world's 12th-richest person, has complained that eruptions from the fake volcano at the Mirage hotel and casino built by Wynn are too loud.

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