Hong Kong, August 04: Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho, one of Asia’s richest men, was being treated in a Hong Kong hospital although the seriousness of his condition was not known, reports said Tuesday.
The 87-year-old, who has dominated gambling in the southern Chinese casino haven for the last four decades, was being treated in Hong Kong’s Adventist Hospital, various reports said.
His children, including daughter Pansy Ho and son Lawrence Ho, both of whom also run casinos in Macau, were pictured visiting him on Monday evening, the South China Morning Post said.
The Apple Daily cited unnamed sources as saying that Ho had tripped and hit his head and had required surgery. The Economic Times said he had hemorrhoids.
A spokeswoman for Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM), the parent company of Ho’s gaming operation, said she was not able to confirm the reports.
Ho was last seen in public a week ago, but he missed Sunday’s official opening of the Hotel Lan Kwai Fong in Macau, which is part-owned by his firm, the Post said.
Ho made his first fortune smuggling luxury goods across the Chinese border from Macau during World War II, before securing the only gaming licence in the then-Portuguese colony in 1962.
He ran the monopoly until a few years ago, when foreign operators were allowed to open casinos, sparking a boom in the city’s revenues. Macau now takes in more gaming dollars than Las Vegas.
He went on to run transport businesses and a racetrack, making him one of Asia’s richest men. Along the way, the keen ballroom dancer cultivated a playboy lifestyle, taking four wives and fathering at least 17 children.
–Agencies