Letters | Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho touched many lives

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Stanley Ho, centre, and other celebrities are welcomed by cheerleaders and photographers at the finishing point of the Celebrity Relay Walkathon, a fund-raising event for the Community Chest, at the TVB headquarters in Hong Kong on January 29, 1978. Photo: SCMP

Published: 7:00am, 31 May 2020Updated: 7:00am, 31 May 2020

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.

Widely known as Brother Sun, Stanley Ho – who died this week at the age of 98 – contributed much to Macau in many respects through his business. In the early 1990s, his gaming taxes accounted for about half of Macau’s total tax income, and the gaming industry under his domination has provided many job opportunities to the people of Macau.

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.

A businessman’s main priority is revenue, and Ho was no exception. The most important thing is that a gentleman should use his fortune in a proper way.

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The life of Macau’s gambling tycoon Stanley Ho

Ho was a person of empathy and generosity. He never unreasonably dismissed his employees, and donated generously to charities. He often displayed his sense of humour in public. The shows he performed on television during the past decades gave audiences many happy hours and unforgettable memories.