Neil Gary Bluhm (born 1938) is an American billionaire real estate and casino magnate. He is a partner of Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, which owns several casinos. He had an estimated net worth of US$7 billion in October 2021. Early life Bluhm was born to a Jewish family in 1938 in Chicago. His father left the family when he was 13, and his mother worked as a bookkeeper. He grew up in a cramped apartment near his immigrant grandparents. He attended a high school on Chicago's northwest side. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1959, studying accounting, and in 1962, he received a juris doctor degree from Northwestern University. In 2009, he received Northwestern’s Alumni Medal, the highest honor an alumnus can receive from the university. Career He started his career as a lawyer and eventually a partner in the Chicago law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt. In 1969, he co-founded JMB Realty with Judd Malkin, his high school friend and college roommate. In 1994, he co-founded Walton Street Capital, a private equity firm. Soon thereafter, with Greg Carlin, he co-founded Rush Street Gaming. Bluhm and his children own real estate in Chicago and elsewhere, including Chicago's 900 North Michigan and Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton Hotels. The family is a minority owner of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. According to Forbes, he had a net worth of US$7.0 billion in October 2021. Personal life He is divorced from art collector and philanthropist Barbara Bluhm-Kaul. They have 3 children: Andy Bluhm, who runs hedge fund Delaware Street Capital; Leslie Bluhm, who co-founded Chicago Cares, and currently serves as a Director on the Board of AmeriCorps under the Biden Administration, and Meredith Bluhm-Wolf, who helps direct the family's business and charitable foundation. He lives in Chicago. In December 2018, he purchased an apartment near Miami for $20 million. An art patron, he sits on the board of trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He has an art collection worth $300 million. He sits on the board of trustees of Northwestern University. Political contributions Bluhm is a Democrat. He hosted President Barack Obama's 49th birthday party, where admission cost a $30,000 donation to the Democratic National Committee. He has contributed to the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, Melissa Bean, Rahm Emanuel, Lisa Madigan, Rod Blagojevich, Lou