Lance Burton Net Worth

What is Lance Burton's Net Worth?

Lance Burton is an American former stage magician who has a net worth of $100 million. Lance Burton performed over 15,000 shows in Las Vegas before he retired in 2010. He also appeared on a number of television shows, including Johnny Carson's and Jay Leno's versions of "The Tonight Show," "Knight Rider," and various magic specials of his own. Later, from 2022 to early 2023, Burton served as a judge on the CW celebrity magic competition show "Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars."

Vegas Contracts & Earnings

Lance Burton's most significant contract was a groundbreaking 13-year deal signed in 1994 with the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, which at the time set a record as the longest entertainment contract ever awarded on the Strip. The agreement was reportedly worth approximately $110 million, paying Burton an average of $8–10 million annually during the height of his run. The resort even invested $27 million to build the custom Lance Burton Theater, a 1,274-seat venue designed specifically for his show, underscoring the scale of their commitment and Burton's drawing power. His residency began in 1996 and ran until 2010, during which he performed more than 5,000 shows to over half a million audience members.

In 2009, despite nearing the end of his original agreement, Burton signed a six-year contract extension that would have kept him at the Monte Carlo through 2015. However, in a surprise move, he opted to retire early, announcing via a low-key Facebook post that his final show would be September 4, 2010. That quiet departure meant walking away from millions in guaranteed earnings, but reflected his desire to end his Vegas run on his own terms. At the peak of this contract, Burton was one of the highest-paid performers in Las Vegas, rivaling other top acts like Siegfried & Roy and David Copperfield.

His deal not only cemented his financial success—with total earnings from the Monte Carlo contract alone placing him among the wealthiest magicians in history—but also helped redefine what was possible for solo illusionists in the Las Vegas entertainment landscape. Even after his retirement, industry insiders continued to praise the scale and security of the Monte Carlo deal, with many calling it one of the most lucrative and stable performance contracts ever signed in the city.

Early Life

Lance Burton was born William Lance Burton on March 10, 1960 in Columbia, Kentucky. He developed an interest in magic when he was five years old, and was a volunteer at a magic show by magician Harry Collins. During one of his tricks, Collins pulled silver dollars out of Burton's ears, riveting the young child. Subsequently, a neighbor of Burton's gave him the book "Magic Made Easy," which contained ten tricks he quickly learned. Burton performed for local children in the neighborhood, charging them each a nickel. When he was a teenager, he was mentored by Collins, who taught him the fundamentals of being a professional magician. Burton also received mentorship from magician Channing Pollock. At the age of 17, he entered his first magic competition and came in first place.

Professional Stage Magician

Burton cemented his status as a top magician in 1980 when he was awarded a Gold Medal of Excellence by the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Not long after that, he moved to Southern California and made his first appearance on the late-night television talk show "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." Burton performed on Carson's show a total of ten times over the years; he went on to perform ten times on the show of Carson's successor, "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Elsewhere in late night television, he performed on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."

Burton began performing his magic in Las Vegas with an initial eight-week trial in the renowned Folies Bergère show. He was so successful that his contract was extended for a record-breaking nine years. In 1991, Burton wrote, produced, and directed his own show at the Hacienda hotel and casino in Vegas; it ran for five years. Meanwhile, in 1994, he signed a record-breaking 13-year contract with Las Vegas's Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. For Burton's show there, the 1,274-seat Lance Burton Theater was constructed, opening in 1996. His show was hugely popular, running until 2010.

(Photo by Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage)

Other Media Appearances

Among his various other appearances in the media, Burton had a guest role as a murderous magician in an episode of the fourth season of the action crime television series "Knight Rider" in 1986. That same year, he made an appearance in the Nickelodeon Halloween-themed special "Mystery Magic Special." Burton went on to star in some network television specials of his own in the 1990s, including "The Legend Begins," "The Encounter," and "Top Secret." In "Top Secret," which broadcast from Buffalo Bill's hotel and casino in Primm, Nevada, Burton staged an illusion in which he appeared to narrowly evade the path of the super-fast steel roller coaster Desperado. The trick apparently went awry, and Burton barely survived; he subsequently turned to the camera and said "That was stupid… that was really stupid."

In the early 2000s, Burton filmed his last special, "On the Road." Later, in 2006, he appeared on "The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon." In 2010, Burton made an appearance in an episode of the History Channel series "American Restoration," with the crew of Rick's Restorations repairing a light pole at his home that had been destroyed during a windstorm. He didn't make many appearances on television in the years after that. Burton returned to the small screen in 2022 to serve as a judge on the CW magic competition show "Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars." With fellow judges Angel and Loni Love, he judged the performances of two celebrities competing against each other after having been trained in magic by Angel. The show ran for a single season through early 2023.

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Honors and Awards

Burton won a number of accolades during his career as a magician, including the Grand Prix at the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques competition in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1982. He became the youngest person, as well as the first American, to win the main event. Later, in both 1985 and 1991, he was named Magician of the Year by the Academy of Magical Arts. Burton's other plaudits include the 1997 Blackstone Theatre Award and the 2016 David Devant Award.

Personal Life

In 1993, Burton married fellow magician Melinda Saxe. The couple ended up divorcing the next year.

Real Estate

In 2001, he purchased a 10-acre plot atop a hill in the Black Mountains, captivated by its panoramic views of the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding wilderness. Envisioning a medieval-style castle reminiscent of classic horror films, Burton collaborated with architect Colin Summers to bring this vision to life. Completed in 2006, the three-story estate spanned approximately 14,376 square feet and featured six bedrooms, a two-story library accessible via a hidden staircase, a theater with a performance stage, and an indoor grotto with a waterfall and spa. Unique elements included secret doors and historic lampposts from the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino lining the driveway.

In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Burton decided to sell the property as he relocated to his family's 100-acre farm in Columbia, Kentucky, which has been in his family for nearly a century. The Henderson mansion was listed for $4.49 million and sold in 2021 for $4 million to Tarek Tabsh, co-founder of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies.

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