Daniel Andrew Beal (born November 29, 1952[3]) is an American banker, businessman, investor, and amateur mathematician.
[8] Beal grew up in Lansing, Michigan, where his mother worked in state government, and his father was a mechanical engineer.
[11] At age 19, Beal became a real estate investor when he bought a house in Lansing for $6,500 and started leasing it for $119 per month.
In 1976, he attended an auction of federal properties in Washington, DC and bid on an apartment building in Waco, TX.
Also in 1976, he enrolled at Baylor University in Waco, TX, but left school to focus on business endeavors.
In 1981, Beal and a partner bought two housing project buildings in disrepair, the Brick Towers in Newark, New Jersey, for $25,000.
Facing competition from NASA's Space Launch Initiative, Beal closed the company and ceased operations on October 23, 2000.
Beal Bank was the sponsor for the Chemistry category of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in Dallas in May 2023.
To encourage research on the conjecture, Beal has personally funded a standing prize of $1 million for its proof or disproof.
The funds are held in trust by the American Mathematical Society,[27] and an informational website on the Beal Conjecture is hosted by the University of North Texas.
On May 13, 2004, at the Las Vegas Bellagio, Beal won one of the largest single hands in poker history, $11.7 million.
He then returned to the Wynn Casino a week later, and won approximately $13.6 million from the Corporation during daily poker sessions from February 12 to 15.
[30] The games resumed February 21 to 23, with world champion poker player Phil Ivey representing the Corporation against Beal at limits of $30,000/60,000 and $50,000/100,000.
[1] In the 2016 United States presidential election, Beal initially endorsed Rand Paul, donating $250,000 to the senator's campaign.