SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

NEW YORK -- Even though his personal fortune shrank by a third this past year, the $60 billion bankroll of Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates still makes him the world's richest man, according to Forbes magazine's rankings.

The gap between Gates and his challengers is narrowing, however, thanks to the booms and busts of the high-tech world he helped create.

The world's billionaires' club expanded this year to 470, pushing the combined wealth of the richest 200 working people in the world upward of $1.1 trillion -- five more people and a $100 billion change from 1999, the magazine reported Thursday. The rankings appear in the July 3 issue of Forbes, which reaches newsstands Friday.

The 14th annual list of the working rich ranks Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison as the world's second-richest man with $47 billion, followed by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen at $28 billion. Last year, Ellison ranked No. 30 on the list with $9.5 billion.

That's a much tighter margin between the top two spots -- about $13 billion -- than a year ago, when Gates' $90 billion personal fortune trumped No. 2 Warren Buffett's $36 billion. This year, Buffett fell to fourth place with $28 billion.

Casino operators on the list:

Kirk Kerkorian, who controls MGM Grand Inc. of Las Vegas, is ranked at No. 69 with a fortune of $5.9 billion.

Carl Icahn, whose holdings include the Stratosphere and the two Arizona Charlies hotel-casinos, is ranked at No. 151 with holdings of $3.7 billion.

Donald Trump, who operates Atlantic City Casinos, is valued at $1.5 billion and is ranked No. 389.