Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) holds the highest position among gaming companies in the latest Forbes Global 2000 rankings.
The operator of Marina Bay Sands placed 836 on the list, 112 positions higher than MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM), the next highest gaming company. Sands secured the ninth position in the hotels, restaurants, and leisure sector, with McDonald’s leading at 224 overall and Starbucks at 332.
Out of the 2,000 publicly listed companies on the roster, 621 are from the US — the largest geographic representation and almost twice the 317 Chinese firms that made it. Japan, India, and the United Kingdom complete the top five.
Among the six gaming companies mentioned, three are based in the United States, such as Sands and MGM, one is from the United Kingdom, and the remaining two come from the Asia-Pacific area.
Why Sands, Rather than Flutter, Tops Forbes' Gaming Rankings
Investors interested in gaming stocks probably recognize that, in terms of market capitalization, Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT), rather than Sands, is the largest publicly traded company in the sector. At the end of US markets today, the parent company of FanDuel held a market valuation of $47.93 billion, while Sands was valued at $29.61 billion. Flutter's lower position in betting-related stocks is a result of Forbes' ranking approach.
"For the last 23 years, Forbes has compiled the Global 2000 list, ranking the world’s 2,000 largest companies by revenue, profit, assets and market value, with equal weights for each of the four metrics,” according to the publication.
Flutter is positioned at 967 on the Global 2000, trailing Sands and MGM, yet the owner of Paddy Power and PokerStars stands as the sole dedicated iGaming/sports betting company on the Forbes list. Worldwide, the Flutter investment strategy is backed by dominant market presence in established markets like Australia and Europe, along with the operator's capacity to utilize deal-making for entry into faster-growing regions, such as Brazil.
In the United States, where Flutter changed its main stock listing last year, FanDuel is the leading online sportsbook operator and an emerging player in the still-developing iGaming sector.
Additional Gaming Stocks Featured on Forbes List
Sands, MGM, and Flutter head the gaming group in the Forbes Global 2000 list, while three additional companies from the industry are also present. The top-ranked member of that trio is the Australia-based slot machine powerhouse Aristocrat Leisure (1,340). Next in line is Galaxy Entertainment (1,419), which, similar to Sands, ranks as one of the biggest operators in Macau.
Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR), the largest domestic casino operator in terms of properties, ranked 1,561.
JPMorgan Chase and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway topped the overall rankings. A Chinese bank, Saudi Aramco, and Amazon followed those companies.
