Posted on: October 30, 2023, 11:18h. 

Last updated on: October 30, 2023, 11:18h.

In Las Vegas, there’s a list that residents hope to avoid – the Top 100 Residential Water Users list. This annual publication by the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) aims to publicly shame heavy water users and encourage conservation. While sports betting enthusiasts may recognize some of the names on this list due to their ownership of casinos, their water consumption habits may surprise you.

Last year, while Nevada, California, and Arizona were working hard to reduce their water use to save the Colorado River, these property owners didn’t show the same concern. The majority of the water on this list was used for lawns, which cannot be recycled like indoor water. To put things into perspective, the top 10 properties alone could provide enough water for 500 average households in Las Vegas for a year, according to the LVVWD.

The Biggest Water Users

At the top of the list for the second consecutive year is Miriam Adelson’s Las Vegas residence. Miriam, the widow of the late Las Vegas Sands Corp. CEO and chair Sheldon Adelson, lives in a golf-course adjacent home that consumed a staggering 10 million gallons of water last year. The majority of this water was used for maintaining extensive lawns that cover the 44,000 square-foot mansion, even including the roof.

Also in the Tournament Players Club community, the third highest water user is Lorenzo J. Fertitta. Fertitta, who is a multibillionaire director of Red Rock Resorts and former CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), owns a 19,000 square-foot home that used 8 million gallons of water.

Fertitta’s family, known for owning Station Casinos, owns another Las Vegas home that consumed 5 million gallons of water, ranking it at number 9 on the list. Victoria Fertitta, daughter of Station Casinos CEO Frank Fertitta, used 2 million gallons of water in her home, placing it at number 57.

Phil Ruffin, owner of Treasure Island and Circus Circus, owns a 73,000 square-foot mansion on the eastern side of town that used 2 million gallons of water, ranking it at number 59.

Dana White, the current CEO of the UFC, also makes an appearance on the list with his multi-home compound using 6 million gallons of water, placing it at number 6.

Other notable figures on the list include magician David Copperfield, whose Summerlin home used nearly 3 million gallons of water, ranking it at number 16, and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, whose Summerlin home used 2 million gallons, moving it up to number 37 from number 84 in 2020.

Finally, the property taking the number one spot on the list is the Prince of Brunei’s former 110,000 square-foot palace in Spanish Trail. Once occupied by Michael Jackson, this massive residence sits on 16 acres of grassy land and is currently listed for sale at $25 million.