On Forbes' annual 400 list, which marks the richest people in America, two online casino founders found their way in to the prestigious club. Party Gaming founders J. Russel DeLeon and Ruth Parasol, who happen to be husband and wife, were tied for 197th place, showing off a clean $1.8 billion each. They came to make their money after taking online casino parent Party Gaming public last year. This marks the first time founders of an online casinos business have representation on the list.
The road to Forbes began when the two online casino founders launched Starluck Casinos in 1997 and met Anurag Dikshit, an Indian businessman. Together with Dikshit, who wrote the multiplayer online casino poker software that became Party Poker in 2001, they co-founded Party Gaming. Today Dikshit himself is the largest shareholder, as he owns approximately 30% of Party Gaming after selling 23% of his stake in the company's Initial Public Offering.
The company has already become a one stop shop for online casino entertainment, operating such online casinos as Party casino, Party Bingo and the cash cow Party Poker which boasts over 1.2 million players. The company's integrated platform allows online casino players to use one single account for all of its properties. |
