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Stanley Ho, patriarch of Asia’s largest casino empire and the ‘King of Gambling’ for more than half a century, dies at 98
- Ho passed away at 1pm at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, according to Pansy Ho Chiu-king, the eldest child from his second marriage
- Ho is survived by 14 of 16 children, and three wives
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Stanley Ho Hung-sun, the patriarch of Asia’s largest casino empire for half a century and a man whose very name is synonymous with Macau’s rise to overtake Las Vegas as the world’s gambling capital, has died, according to his family. He was 98.
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He is survived by 14 of the 16 children he had with four women. Ho referred to the mothers of his children as his wives, three of whom also survive him.
“Although we know the day will come, it does not ease our sorrow,” said Pansy Ho Chiu-king, the eldest child from Ho’s second marriage, adding that the tycoon passed away at 1pm at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. “Dad will stay in people’s hearts forever and our family will continue to [contribute] to society.”
Ho leaves behind a gambling empire that contributed to as much as half of the tax receipts earned by the Macau government, a heft that made him the first living resident of the gaming hub to have an avenue in the territory named after him. One of Asia’s richest men for decades, Ho’s personal fortune was estimated at HK$50 billion (US$6.4 billion) when he retired in 2018 just months before his 97th birthday.
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“It is a great loss for Hong Kong,” said Stewart Leung Chi-kin, chairman of the Real Estate Developers Association (Reda), the guild of Hong Kong’s powerful property industry, of which Ho served as chairman for 20 years until 2011. “Ho has contributed a lot to the real estate industry during his tenure at Reda. He never retreated even when he faced pressure from the government. He put Hong Kong’s interest as his top priority.”
Besides his business exploits and his lifestyle – the fodder for Hong Kong’s society pages – Ho is also known for the billions of dollars he gave away in philanthropy. His name appears on 12 museums, hospitals and sports centres in Hong Kong and Macau. He is equally known for paying HK$2.57 million the largest white truffle at a charity auction, as returning two bronze animal heads – looted by invading forces from the Summer Palace in Beijing – to mainland China.
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