Macao casino magnate Stanley Ho dies at 98

His daughter Pansy Ho Chiu King told reporters that her father died at the hospital at 1 p.m.

“Although we knew the day will come, it does not ease our sorrow,” said Pansy Ho who was surrounded by members of the large family.

Stanley Ho, born into a Eurasian family in Hong Kong on November 25, 1921, is survived by three of his wives and 15 of his 17 children.

Pansy Ho said her father died peacefully in his sleep at the hospital where he had stayed for prolonged period of time in the past decade or so.

His family issued a statement this afternoon, headlined: “Mourning the Passing of our Patriarch Dr. Stanley Ho Hung Sun”.

“With profound sadness, we, on behalf of his deceased wife, Clementina Leitao Ho, of his surviving wife, Lucina Laam King Ying, third spouse Ina Chan Un Chan and fourth spouse Angela Leong on Kei, and all his children and grandchildren, jointly announce the passing of our beloved patriarch, Dr. Stanley Ho Hung Sun. Surrounded by all his family members, Dr. Ho passed away peacefully at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital on 26 May 2020 at the age of 98.”

The statement also said that “Dr. Ho was a larger-than-life figure whose unparalleld vision, entrepreneurial spirit, resourcefulness and fearlessness were widely recognised and well-respected. To us, he was and forever will be our inspirational role model. He had passed on important value to us. He taught us to see possibilities in new and uncharted territories, to embrace challenges with tenacity and resilience, to be compassionate and empathic, to give back to society, to appreciate our cultural heritage and, most of all, to be patriotic to our country.”

The statement also underlined that “amongst the many achievements he amassed in the 98 years of his life, Dr. Ho’s charisma, sense of humour and love for dancing will be amongst the many qualities which his peers will fondly remember him by. But to us, his family, his legacy will be the unconditional love he demonstrated. Although we knew this day would come, no words could adequately express our sense of this great loss. He will be missed by all his family members, and all whose lives he had touched.”

Stanley Ho held several honorary doctorates.

Stanley Ho was the co-founder of Macao’s gaming company STDM which ran the city’s casinos under a monopoly concession granted by its then Portuguese administration in 1962 until 2001 when the government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) liberalised the gaming industry. STDM’s gaming operations were transferred to SJM, which was also headed by Stanley Ho. SJM is now one of six rival casino operators in Macao.

Stanley Ho retired gradually from his role as Macao’s “king of gambling” after an accident at his home in Hong Kong in 2009. Macao’s Portuguese-speaking community endearingly called him “Tio Stanley” (“tio” means “uncle” in Portuguese).