Phil Ruffin is a well-known American billionaire who made his fortune in the gambling business. He is on the list of the famous Forbes magazine, in which in 2008 he occupied 215th place in the world with the figure of 2.1 billion dollars. Currently, as of 2017, Ruffin’s financial holdings amount to $ 2.7 billion. In addition to casinos and other things, Phil is one of the largest organizers of dog races in the world, an influential entrepreneur in the oil industry, and also has a number of large companies selling luxury real estate. He lives in Las Vegas, where he has a large mansion, the cost of which is estimated at tens of millions of dollars. In 2006, Phil Ruffin was only in the 606th position among the richest people in the world (whose fortune starts at $ 1.3 billion). Thanks to this financial achievement, which we can observe at the present time, Phil has become a world celebrity. In 2008, he married a Ukrainian girl. This is Alexandra Nikolaenko - Miss Ukraine 2001.
Phil Ruffin: biography of the American gaming magnate
He was born on March 14 in 1935 in the city of Amarillo, Texas, USA. He grew up and was brought up in Wichita (Kansas). Here he studied in college as an economist, but he never graduated. In 1972, Phil Ruffin was the first in Kansas to open a self-service gas station. The business began to flourish and grow rapidly. After a few years, its refueling filled the entire Midwest (over 60 points). In parallel with this business, he began to transport oil to all states of the country. In the late 70s, Phil was already a major millionaire and, it would seem, what else is needed for a person who is just over forty years old. However, Phil did not even think to stop. At the same time, he organized his own business for the production of handcarts. Phil's income was constantly growing, and with them new opportunities began to appear. In 1987, he opened a hotel in Wichita under the name Marriott. In 1994, his stores began to work in collaboration with Total's gas stations. Phil Ruffin already at that time was very close to his first billion, but he makes a good forecast for his own investment.
Big acquisition - Crystal Palace casino
In 1995, he opened a casino in the Bahamas called Crystal Palace, which hosts various world poker events sponsored by Poker Carribean Adventure. Also in the late nineties, he was the owner of the largest world casino Frontier in the Las Vegas Strip, but at the present time it is destroyed.
Phil Ruffin: children, wife, personal life
He is already 83 years old, but we know little about the details of his life. The thing is that Phil is an opponent of frank conversations to the public. Often, he avoids serious interviews that haunt him everywhere. He answers very briefly and ambiguously, so it is difficult to “solve” and “read” it. It is known from his life that he was married twice. In 2008, he married the Ukrainian beauty, bearing the title of "Miss Ukraine 2001". This girl’s name is Alexandra Nikolaenko, she married 26 years old for the 72-year-old American billionaire. Little is known about the details of their acquaintance, so we can only guess and draw our modest conclusions. As you know, Phil Ruffin is a good friend of Donald Trump, who organizes one of the brightest annual world events - “Miss Universe”. Apparently, at this contest, Phil noticed his future wife. For a long time he gave her expensive gifts and sought her favor.
Donald Trump was a witness at a wedding
The wedding took place on January 6 at the Mar-a-Lugo Club, which is located in the sunny city of Palm Beach (a few kilometers from Miami). As you know, the club belongs to the possessions of Donald Trump (now the 45th president of the United States of America), who was a witness at the wedding.
The couple already have a joint child. From his first marriage, Phil has three more children. Together with his current wife, Alexandra, they visit Ukraine once a year - they fly on their own plane. The Miss Ukraine Universe contest is held here, owned by Alexandra Nikolaenko.
History of New Frontier Hotel and Casino
As you know, for a long time Phil Ruffin was the owner of a large casino Frontier. The American billionaire often publicly stated that he planned to completely rebuild and reconstruct this casino and give it a new name - The Montreaux. However, these plans were not destined to come true - the planned project was constantly postponed indefinitely until Phil sold the building in 2007 to one large company called El Ad Properties. It is worth noting that Phil Ruffin earned good money from this transaction, thanks to which a new opportunity for large investments and investments opened up. As a result, Frointer was demolished, and in its place the construction of the largest resort began.
Big casino purchases again
In 2009, the billionaire bought a couple more casinos in Las Vegas - MGM Mirage and Treasure Island. Phil Ruffin is an American businessman whose intelligence can get around any global crisis. All of his major transactions have always been completed on time, that is, apart from global trends related to the crisis. To the question: “How is your gambling business flourishing?” - Phil always replies: “I am satisfied that every time I provide more and more jobs for the population.”
