Stanley Ho: The Life of a Gambling Tycoon

Stanley Ho, a titan of Asia’s gambling industry who helped spearhead Macao’s emergence as a global casino hub, died Tuesday at the age of 98.

The Hong Kong-born Ho fled to Macao during World War II and later founded a company that in 1961 won the sole rights to develop casinos in the then-Portuguese colony. Ho’s subsequent success made him one of Asia’s richest men and saw Macao supersede Las Vegas as the world’s biggest gambling destination.

A bon vivant known for his opulent lifestyle, Ho is survived by 15 of the 17 children he had with four women. Below is a brief history of his life, told in images and graphics.

Stanley Ho Hung-sun, a Hong Kong-Macao gambling and property tycoon with a fortune that reached over $5 billion, prepares to sign a contract in Portugal in January 1962.

Ho in April 1981. Ho played a leading role in Macao’s emergence as the world’s foremost casino hub, at one time owning the region’s gambling monopoly.

Ho watches a horse race at Hong Kong’s Sha Tin Racecourse in February 2008.

Ho and some of his family members attend an award ceremony in Hong Kong in November 2010.

Two of Ho’s children, Sabrina and Alice, kiss him at his 91st birthday party in Hong Kong in November 2012. Ho died Tuesday at the age of 98.

Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editors Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com) and Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)