Miriam Adelson: Doctor, Casino Heiress, and Megadonor Explained
It’s rare to find a physician who also helms a global casino empire, but Miriam Adelson blurs that line entirely. A licensed doctor who specialized in addiction medicine, she inherited majority control of Las Vegas Sands after her husband Sheldon Adelson’s death in 2021 and has since emerged as one of the most influential Republican megadonors in American politics.
Net worth: $32 billion (Forbes, 2025) ·
Primary source of wealth: Las Vegas Sands casino inheritance ·
Political donations (2024 cycle): $106 million pro-Trump super PAC ·
Medical specialty: Addiction medicine (internal medicine) ·
Age: 79 (born October 10, 1945)
Quick snapshot
- Licensed physician specializing in addiction medicine (Wikipedia biography)
- Inherited ~57% of Las Vegas Sands shares after husband’s death (Forbes wealth profile)
- Donated $106,019,900 to pro-Trump super PAC in 2024 (The New York Times report)
- Exact breakdown of personal assets beyond casino stock is private
- Specific role in day-to-day Las Vegas Sands management is not publicly detailed
- 2021: Inherits casino control after Sheldon Adelson’s death (The New York Times report)
- 2024: $106M in donations to Preserve America PAC (The Times of Israel report)
- Continued influence on Republican primary and general election funding cycles
- Ongoing pro-Israel philanthropy through Adelson Family Foundation
Six key facts about Miriam Adelson, one pattern: her fortune, medical career, and philanthropy are all intertwined through the Adelson family’s casino wealth and her personal political convictions.
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miriam Adelson (née Farbstein) | Wikipedia |
| Birth date | October 10, 1945 | Wikipedia |
| Citizenship | Israeli and American | Forbes |
| Medical degree | Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University | Wikipedia |
| Primary business | Las Vegas Sands Corp. (casinos) | Forbes |
| Notable philanthropy | Adelson Family Foundation, Birthright Israel | Wikipedia |
How did Miriam Adelson make her money?
Inheritance of Las Vegas Sands
- Miriam Adelson inherited majority control of Las Vegas Sands after Sheldon Adelson’s death in January 2021 (Forbes wealth profile).
- The company operates iconic casino resorts including The Venetian in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore (Wikipedia company overview).
Adelson inherited a $32 billion fortune, but with it came the obligation to manage a publicly traded casino empire during a period of post-pandemic recovery in global travel and gambling.
The role of Sheldon Adelson’s estate
- Sheldon Adelson’s death transferred his controlling stake — roughly 57% of Las Vegas Sands shares — to Miriam Adelson, making her the richest woman in Las Vegas (Forbes).
- The estate also included substantial real estate holdings and cash reserves that further boosted her net worth (Wikipedia biography).
The implication: Adelson’s wealth is not earned from scratch but inherited from the largest casino fortune in the world, yet she has actively deployed that wealth in ways that diverge from her late husband’s lower-profile political style.
What type of doctor is Miriam Adelson?
Training in internal medicine
- She earned her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University (Wikipedia biography).
- She completed residency training in internal medicine and practiced as a physician in Israel (Wikipedia).
Subspecialty in addiction medicine
- She founded a substance abuse research clinic at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv in the 1990s (Wikipedia biography).
- Her clinical focus was on treating drug addiction, a field that parallels the casino industry’s relationship with gambling addiction — a tension rarely discussed in mainstream coverage of her wealth (Wikipedia).
Adelson spent decades treating addiction as a physician while her husband’s company profited from casino gambling — an irony that raises questions about how the family reconciled these two worlds.
What this means: Adelson is one of the few billionaires with an active medical license, and her addiction specialty creates an unusual personal narrative that most reporting on her political donations overlooks.
Why does Miriam Adelson support Israel?
Zionist upbringing and family history
- She is an Israeli-American who served in the Israeli Defense Forces before pursuing medicine (Wikipedia biography).
- Born in Tel Aviv in 1945, she grew up in a Zionist family that shaped her lifelong commitment to the state of Israel (Wikipedia biography).
Philanthropy through the Adelson Foundation
- She funds pro-Israel initiatives including Birthright Israel, which sends young Jews to visit Israel, and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center (Wikipedia biography).
- She owns the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom, which has been described as a pro-Netanyahu media outlet, amplifying her influence over Israeli public opinion (Wikipedia media profile).
The catch: Adelson’s support for Israel is not merely philanthropic — it’s also political. Her ownership of a major Israeli newspaper and her funding of advocacy groups give her a direct stake in shaping Israeli policy and U.S.-Israel relations.
Why does Miriam Adelson support Trump?
Shared policy goals on Israel
- Trump moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights — moves Adelson publicly celebrated (Wikipedia biography).
- She reportedly described Trump as “the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House” (The Times of Israel report).
Pro-Trump super PAC donations
- She donated $106,019,900 to Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC, during the 2024 election cycle (OpenSecrets campaign finance data).
- Her donations included a $20,000,000 contribution on September 17, 2024, and a $6,000,000 contribution on October 28, 2024, among dozens of other installments (OpenSecrets donor records).
- The New York Times reported on October 24, 2024, that Adelson had invested $100 million in her pro-Trump super PAC Preserve America (The New York Times political finance report).
With $106 million in recorded donations for a single election cycle, Adelson has become the single largest known donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign — a level of spending that raises questions about the influence of ultra-wealthy donors on U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.
Why this matters: Adelson’s political spending is not abstract — it is precisely targeted toward candidates who prioritize Israel policy, making her a key bridge between U.S. domestic politics and Israeli interests.
What does Miriam Adelson own?
Las Vegas Sands shares
- She owns a controlling stake — roughly 57% — in Las Vegas Sands, the global casino operator valued at approximately $32 billion by Forbes in 2025 (Forbes wealth profile).
- The company operates The Venetian, Palazzo, and Marina Bay Sands casino resorts (Wikipedia company overview).
Israel Hayom newspaper
- She owns the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom, the most widely circulated newspaper in Israel (Wikipedia media profile).
- The paper is widely seen as supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies (Wikipedia).
Real estate assets
- She owns luxury real estate in Las Vegas, Tel Aviv, and New York City, though the full portfolio is not publicly disclosed (Forbes wealth profile).
The pattern: Adelson’s assets span three countries — the U.S., Israel, and Singapore — and combine traditional casino wealth, media influence, and high-end real estate, giving her a diversified empire that few other billionaires can match.
“Trump is the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”
— Miriam Adelson, as reported by The Times of Israel
Her net worth of $32 billion makes her one of the world’s richest women, with her fortune derived entirely from the casino empire she inherited from her husband.
— Forbes profile (2025)
Adelson founded a substance abuse clinic at Sourasky Medical Center in the 1990s, treating patients for drug addiction while her husband’s casinos generated billions from gambling.
— Wikipedia biography
Timeline
- 1945: Born in Tel Aviv, British Mandate of Palestine (Wikipedia).
- 1970s: Earns medical degree; begins practice in internal medicine and addiction (Wikipedia).
- 1993: Founds substance abuse research clinic at Sourasky Medical Center (Wikipedia).
- 2007: Marries Sheldon Adelson (Wikipedia).
- 2021: Sheldon Adelson dies; Miriam inherits controlling stake in Las Vegas Sands (Forbes).
- 2024: Donates $106 million to Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC (OpenSecrets).
This timeline captures the key milestones in Adelson’s transformation from physician to political megadonor.
businessinsider.com, hadassahmagazine.org, special.library.unlv.edu, x.com, opensecrets.org, iac360.org, opensecrets.org, cnbc.com
Frequently asked questions
Is Miriam Adelson a medical doctor?
Yes. She earned her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and practiced internal medicine and addiction medicine for decades (Wikipedia biography).
What is the net worth of Miriam Adelson?
Forbes estimated her net worth at approximately $32 billion as of 2025, making her one of the richest women in the world (Forbes wealth profile).
Does Miriam Adelson have children?
She has five children: four from her first marriage to Ariel Ochshorn (including two stepchildren), and one biological son, Matan Adelson (Wikipedia biography).
How much did Miriam Adelson donate to Trump?
She donated $106,019,900 to Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC, during the 2024 election cycle (OpenSecrets campaign finance data).
What casinos does Miriam Adelson own?
Through her controlling stake in Las Vegas Sands, she owns The Venetian, Palazzo, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, and other international casino properties (Wikipedia company overview).
Does Miriam Adelson still practice medicine?
She has not actively practiced medicine in recent years, though she maintains her medical license and background in addiction treatment (Wikipedia biography).
Where does Miriam Adelson live?
She splits her time between Las Vegas, Nevada; Tel Aviv, Israel; and New York City (Forbes wealth profile).
Related reading: Full analysis of Miriam Adelson’s 2024 political donations and net worth · Miriam Adelson biography and key facts
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