Like many other children in Macau during the 1970s, I was stuck on street gambling, like marble racing. The first time I heard of Stanley Ho Hung-sun and his gaming empire was through my uncle, who one evening excitedly tossed a lot of 50-cent coins on a table while I was playing with my elder brother at home. He told us he had won all these coins from a slot-machine in the extravagant Casino Lisboa founded by gaming tycoon Ho Hung-sun.

The most enthralling post in the casino is a dealer, and this was particularly the case in the 1970s and 1980s, when job opportunities were scarce. Dealers earned high salaries and could buy a flat after working for half a year. Thus, they would not take off their purple uniforms even after work, as a symbol of wealth.

Ho dominated the gambling industry after winning a monopoly licence in 1961, which he enjoyed for 40 years, until the gaming market was opened up to competitors from 2002 onwards.