Sands Bethworks and Behtlehem - a great deal

These days, it takes a billion — at least.For the first time, Forbes magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans consists exclusively of people worth $1 billion or more. As a group, the people who made the rankings released Thursday are worth a record $1.25 trillion, compared to $1.13 trillion last year.

In the billionaire-athon, Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands Corp. pole-vaulted to No. 3 from 15 in last year's ranking, finishing behind the mainstays at Nos. 1 and 2: Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Las Vegas Sands is part of a development team that wants to build a $879 million entertainment district in Bethlehem. Plans include museums, shops, apartments and a casino of 5,000 slot machines on former Bethlehem Steel land.