Miriam Adelson
American physician, majority owner of Las Vegas Sands and publisher of Israel Hayom
| Miriam Adelson
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 10 1945 (age 81 years old (as of 2026)
) (Forbes) Israel (Forbes) |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Physician; publisher; businesswoman |
| Known for | Controlling shareholder of Las Vegas Sands; majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks; publisher of Israel Hayom |
| Spouse(s) | Sheldon Adelson (died 2021) |
| Children | 5 (Forbes) |
| Education | Hebrew University of Jerusalem (BSc) (Forbes) |
Miriam Adelson (born 1945) is a physician specialising in addiction, and the widow of the casino owner Sheldon Adelson.[1][2] With trusts for her family, she controls more than half of the voting power of Las Vegas Sands, which runs resorts in Macao and Singapore.[3] In 2023 her family and that of Sivan and Patrick Dumont, her son-in-law, bought control of the Dallas Mavericks.[4] She has published the Israeli daily Israel Hayom since 2018,[5] and Forbes describes her as a long-standing Republican megadonor.[2][6] On 20 October 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Miriam Adelson & family 71st in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$31.03 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as Casinos.[2][7] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Miriam Adelson 56th, at US$37.5 billion.[8]
Medical career
Forbes says she was born in Israel, studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and became a doctor specialising in addiction.[2] The White House's 2018 citation says she practised internal and emergency medicine, specialised in narcotic addiction and founded two research centres on substance abuse. It adds that with Sheldon Adelson she set up the Adelson Medical Research Foundation, to fund research into preventing or curing disabling and life-threatening illness.[1] At the award ceremony, President Trump said the foundation had been set up in 2006.[9] Forbes reports that the couple founded the Sheldon G. Adelson Research Clinic in Las Vegas, which treats opioid use disorder.[2]
Las Vegas Sands
Sheldon Adelson, founder and former chairman and chief executive of Las Vegas Sands, died in 2021 at the age of 87.[2] The company's 2026 proxy statement lists her as the beneficial owner of 341,442,911 shares, or 51.4%. This total includes shares in trusts and custodial accounts for family members over which she has sole or shared control as trustee. Two Sheldon G. Adelson 2007 trusts each hold a further 13.2%. With Irwin Chafetz, she and these trusts form a group that owned 58.2% of the shares at 16 March 2026.[3] Her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, is the company's chairman and chief executive. The proxy describes him as the son-in-law of Dr Miriam Adelson, who with family trusts and other entities controls more than 50% of the voting power.[3] Forbes notes that in 2022 Las Vegas Sands sold its Las Vegas Strip assets, the Venetian Resort and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, to Apollo Global and VICI Properties for US$6.25 billion. Its casinos are now in Singapore and Macao.[2][3]
Dallas Mavericks
On 27 December 2023 the NBA's Board of Governors approved the sale of the controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban to the families of Miriam Adelson and of Sivan and Patrick Dumont. Patrick Dumont became the team's governor.[4][3]
Israel Hayom
On 17 May 2018 the Hebrew daily Israel Hayom announced that she would become its publisher. Its founding publisher and chief executive were stepping down after 12 years; they had taken up their roles at the request of Miriam and Sheldon Adelson. The group also includes the newspaper Makor Rishon, which it bought out of liquidation in 2014. In her statement, she said Israel Hayom had made Israel's media discourse more balanced and diverse.[5]
Political activity
Forbes describes her as a long-standing Republican megadonor and a leading backer of Donald Trump. It says that in 2020 the couple gave US$180 million to Republican campaigns and political action committees.[2] Federal Election Commission records for the 2022 to 2026 cycles show more than US$230 million in itemised contributions under her name. The largest recipients are Preserve America PAC (US$106 million), the Senate Leadership Fund and its affiliate SLF PAC, MAGA Inc. and the Congressional Leadership Fund.[6] In November 2018 President Trump awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[1][9]
Across the 34 non-memo records retrieved for the 2022–2026 cycles, the filtered total is US$231,919,300 (a lower bound). The largest recipient committees, as named in the filings, were PRESERVE AMERICA PAC (US$106,000,000), SLF PAC (US$30,000,000), SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND (US$27,500,000), MAGA INC. (US$25,000,000), CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND (US$22,500,000).[6]
| Cycle | Total (US$, lower bound) | Records | Largest recipient committees (as filed with the FEC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $25,000,000 | 6 | SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND ($12,500,000); CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND ($12,500,000) |
| 2024 | $139,790,300 | 18 | PRESERVE AMERICA PAC ($106,000,000); SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND ($15,000,000); CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND ($10,000,000); RJC VICTORY FUND ($5,000,000) |
| 2026 | $67,129,000 | 10 | SLF PAC ($30,000,000); MAGA INC. ($25,000,000); CLF ($10,000,000); SECURITY IS STRENGTH PAC ($1,000,000) |
Philanthropy
The White House's 2018 citation lists causes she has supported, including Holocaust memorial organisations, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and Birthright Israel.[1]
Wealth
Forbes classes her fortune as inherited and gives casinos as its source.[2]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 6 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2021. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list, and, where applicable, the rank and estimate in the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.[8][2]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) | Forbes 400 rank | Forbes 400 net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | 38.2 | 24 | 30.4 |
| 2022 | 50 | 27.5 | 26 | 26.4 |
| 2023 | 35 | 35.0 | 24 | 32.8 |
| 2024 | 53 | 32.0 | 32 | 29.8 |
| 2025 | 56 | 32.1 | 25 | 37.9 |
| 2026 | 56 | 37.5 | 33 | 33.5 |
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
She has published the Israeli daily Israel Hayom since 2018. The group also owns Makor Rishon and a printing house.[5]
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
The White House's 2018 citation lists her support for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and Birthright Israel.[1]
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
Las Vegas Sands operates integrated resorts in Macao, including The Londoner Macao.[3]
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
Her FEC-recorded contributions of more than US$230 million (2022–2026) went mainly to political action committees, the largest being Preserve America PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA Inc. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump in 2018.[6][1]
Other international links
Las Vegas Sands owns Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.[3]
Earlier Powerbase text (retained)
Miriam Adelson is a physician who has specialised in narcotic addiction.[1] She is the widow of the billionaire Sheldon G. Adelson, who died in 2021.[2]
The White House's 2018 Presidential Medal of Freedom citation says she practised internal and emergency medicine and founded two research centres committed to fighting substance abuse.[1]
Connections
- Sheldon G. Adelson – late husband (died 2021)[2]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 The White House, President Donald J. Trump Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom The White House (archived), 10 November 2018, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Miriam Adelson (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/miriam-adelson/) Forbes, live record, read 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Las Vegas Sands Corp., Definitive proxy statement (Schedule 14A) for the 2026 annual meeting US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 1 April 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 National Basketball Association, NBA Board of Governors approves sale of Mavericks to Adelson and Dumont families NBA Communications, 27 December 2023, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Israel Hayom, חילופי תפקידים ב"ישראל היום": ד"ר מרים אדלסון תשמש מו"ל (Changes at Israel Hayom: Dr Miriam Adelson to serve as publisher) Israel Hayom (Hebrew), 17 May 2018, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 U.S. Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC Schedule A (itemised individual contributions) query, contributor name "ADELSON, MIRIAM"; 2026 cycle shown in link, the 2022, 2024 and 2026 cycles were queried together with the same parameters; top 100 records by amount; compiler filtered records by employer/occupation and name and excluded memo entries U.S. Federal Election Commission, data as filed; queried 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The White House, Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom (Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents DCPD-201800792) US Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 16 November 2018, accessed 20 October 2026.