15. Tilman Fertitta
$4.5 billon UP
Age: 61
Houston
Fertitta’s over-the-top Post Oak development in Houston opened in March with a 250-room hotel, a conference center, 6 restaurants and bars, and a Rolls-Royce dealership in the lobby. Across the street he also sells Bentleys and Bugattis. Fertitta owns restaurant and entertainment group Landry’s and the Golden Nugget casinos. The star of CNBC’s Billion Dollar Buyer bought the Houston Rockets basketball team last year for $2.2 billion, the highest price paid for an NBA franchise. A dropout from the University of Houston, Fertitta is president of its board of regents.