Tall, handsome and of mixed Chinese and European heritage, Ho fathered 17 children with four women, an extended family that engaged in high-profile squabbles over his legacy during his later years. The dispute eventually was settled after several lawsuits, and Ho transferred most of his SJM shares to family members while officially remaining chairman until he retired at age News Home. Enormous crowds march through Sydney after Black Lives Matter protests declared lawful. Federal Government rejects racism claims as China tells citizens not to visit Australia. But he said he avoided the gambling floor. Ho is survived by three of his wives and 16 children — his eldest son, Robert, died in a car crash in Portugal in His son Lawrence runs another competitor, Melco. Australia's Black Lives Matter protests in images. Ho had stakes in businesses running everything from the ferries and helicopters connecting Hong Kong and Macau to department stores, hotels, Macau's airport and its horse-racing tracks. When he was 13, his father abandoned the family after being wiped out by a stock market crash during the Great Depression. Ho was born in , into the Hotung family, one of Hong Kong's wealthiest and most powerful. Sydney Black Lives Matter rally organisers win last-minute appeal to overturn ban. ABC News homepage.{/INSERTKEYS}{/PARAGRAPH} A family statement said he died peacefully in his sleep, but did not give a cause of death. {PARAGRAPH}{INSERTKEYS}Casino tycoon Stanley Ho, whose business empire dominated the Portuguese gambling enclave of Macau for decades, has died in Hong Kong at age Considered the father of modern gambling in China, Ho began his long and eventful life as a kerosene trader and ended up Macau's richest person, a lavish spender and debonair ballroom dancer. During the war, Ho said he ran night-time smuggling and trading trips up the Pearl River Delta, on one occasion surviving a pirate attack. Fluent in English and Chinese, he was working as a telephone operator for British forces when the colony fell to Japan. Ho disputed a supposed transfer of his entire stake to five of his children and one of his wives, calling it a "robbery" contrary to his desire to divide the fortune equally among various family members. Key points: Ho arrived in Macau as a refugee from mainland China He said he arrived with "10 dollars in my pocket and became a millionaire before the age of 20" Ho fathered 17 children with four women Considered the father of modern gambling in China, Ho began his long and eventful life as a kerosene trader and ended up Macau's richest person, a lavish spender and debonair ballroom dancer. Australians show support for Black Lives Matter movement in peaceful protests. It's for the house. In , Ho had brain surgery after reportedly falling at home. More on:. Another daughter, Josie, is an actress and singer. Tens of thousands turn out for Black Lives Matter protests across Australia. It's a house game. He spent seven months in the hospital and was rarely seen in public afterward, usually in a wheelchair. Chinese relics returned by French billionaire years after looting. In , a very public feud erupted over control of his multibillion-dollar stake in Macao casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd. Police rescue two people off Illawarra beach, search continues for missing man and child after boat capsizes Posted 10 m minutes ago. Ho reportedly met Ms Chan, a nurse, when she was hired to care for Leitao, who died in He met Leong, a dancer and former ballroom dancing instructor, through his love of the tango and the cha-cha. He boarded a boat for neutral Macao, joining refugees from mainland China in the dying fishing port. Posted 27 May May Macau authorities take in dogs after Asia's only greyhound race track shuts. Eventually, he secured a four-decade monopoly on casinos in Macao, using that home advantage to build an empire that still dominated the industry for years after the local gaming market opened to foreign companies in Ho was low key and quietly spoken in person, but proud of his role in transforming Macao from a decaying backwater deluged with refugees into the glittering destination is it today. Police rescue two people off Illawarra beach, search continues for missing man and child after boat capsizes. Most Popular 1. Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest organisers fined by police Posted 4 h hours ago. Ho shrugged off allegations of ties to organised crime, such as a report by the New Jersey gaming commission that accused him of letting Chinese criminal gangs, or triads, prosper inside his casinos during the s. Alice buried her son on his 20th birthday. US protests latest: Denver police ordered to stop deploying 'less-than-lethal' force as protests continue for 11th day. Indigenous Australians urged to 'know your rights' in wake of George Floyd death. Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest organisers fined by police. Barilaro hounded over labelling Deputy PM a 'failed leader' at Nationals candidate announcement. Back to top. In , Ho married Clementina Leitao, daughter of a prominent lawyer in Macao with ties to Portugal and to Macao high society, connections that may have helped him win the casino monopoly in About the same time, Ho married Lucina Laam under a Qing dynasty code allowing men to take multiple wives that Hong Kong outlawed in Ho fathered children with two other women, Ina Chan and Angela Leong, whom he also referred to as his "wives". Her fight for justice would have a tragic end.