In 1994, Ruffin leased his convenience stores to Total, using the money to purchase more hotels.

His businesses also included oil distribution and one of the country's largest manufacturers of hand trucks.

In 1987, he then used cash from the convenience stores to build his first hotel, a Marriott in Wichita. In 1972, Ruffin pioneered self-serve gasoline in Kansas, creating a chain of 60 convenience stores in the Midwest. 'After he won the state championship,' states one profile, 'his father, who never attended a match, asked him if he was the one they were talking about in the newspaper.' He attended Washburn University in Topeka for three years and Wichita State University but never got his degree. In 1953, he graduated from Wichita North High School where he was a wrestling champion. He has four siblings: Elaine Ruffin Nemer, Roy Ruffin Jr., Pat Ruffin, and Pam Ruffin. He was raised in Wichita, Kansas where his father had a grocery store. He is of Lebanese descent (his family's surname was originally 'Rufan'). Ruffin was born in Potter County near Amarillo, Texas, the son of Blanche (née Cohlmia) and Roy J. On the Forbes 2019 list of the world's billionaires, he was ranked No.

He is also a business partner of former United States President Donald Trump, with whom he co-owns the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. He owns the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino and Circus Circus Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in addition to a number of other enterprises including hotels, casinos, greyhound racing tracks, oil production, convenience stores, real estate, and the world's largest manufacturer of hand trucks. Phillip Gene Ruffin (born March 14, 1935) is an American businessman.

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