Stanley Ho the King of Macau Casinos passed away on May 26, 2020, at the ripe old age of 98. With an incredible run of success and millions of dollars, oops sorry, Billions of dollars, Stanley had a monopoly on the Casino industry in Macau for 4 long decades. It took until 2002 when the Chinese rulers decides that Mr. Ho would no longer monopolize the market. For the next 18 years Stanley controlled no less than 50% of the market while exerting influence and leverage in the industry as well as politics. Stanley was more of a land-based casino magnet and never ventured into the online gambling business, although if I had to choose, its the old-school casinos that provide an ego boost and gives you that notoriety.
How and When did Mr. Ho get his start?
The ninth of thirteen children, Stanley was not exactly a good student, as a matter of fact he struggled and received the lowest scores possible at University. Much of his experience was acquired during WW2 when he was a smuggling goods across the Chinese border. In 1961 Stanley along with his partners Henry Fok, Yip Hon, and Teddy Yip, made a bid for Macau’s lucrative gambling license and won by defeating the Fu family. And as we say, “the rest is history.”
With a love for money and women, Stanley had 17 children with 4 different women, Mr. Ho’s grip on the Macau casino industry as well as other projects made him a billionaire with a total net worth at his death of US$2.5 Billion. As with anyone so successful in an industry linked to questionable characters, the Canadian Government linked Stanley to the Chinese Mafia and stating he involved himself in illegal and illicit activities. He was also investigated by the US authorities as well as the US Senate.
In controlling such a lucrative industry in this part of the world it would be unreasonable to expect an individual not to swim in the same waters as a few unsavory characters. Regardless, Stanley Ho Hung-sun GBM GLM GBS GML OBE created one of the most popular destinations in the world while providing fun and excitement for millions of players from all over the world.
