Despite rumors to the contrary, casino tycoon Stanley Ho is resting comfortably in a Hong Kong hospital. This news comes from his third wife, Ina Chan Un Chan, and daughter Laurinda, who spoke to the media on February 9, reports the South China Morning Post.
On February 8, the 97-year-old Macau casino magnate was reported to be in failing health with possible organ failure, with doctors advising family members to stay by his side. He’s reportedly resting at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital in Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
Chan rejected these reports, telling the media, “He is in good shape. I don’t know why there were such rumours.” They added that he can still eat and talk with his visiting family, and made a Lunar New Year wish for his children to remain obedient.
The reports of his failing health apparently upset the family quite a bit. His daughter added, “Touch wood! There are such rumours in the new year.”
His fourth wife, Angela Leong, also visited him at the hospital, but denied she was rushing to his death bed. She claimed she went there “to handout lai sees.”
Should the worst happen, Ho’s casino empire under SJM Holdings has already been passed on to the next generation. Last month, another one of his daughters, Pansy Ho, took control of the company in an alliance with the Henry Fok Foundation.
Stanley stepped away from the company in June 2018, with most observing that he had started relinquishing control has his health had started to fail. At the time, his other daughter, Daisy Ho, was appointed chairman, a role she has kept even with Pansy Ho’s bid for control.
Family drama is natural when it comes to a business empire. Stanley Ho’s nephew, Michael Hotung, petitioned the Hong Kong High Court for unpaid dividends last month. His mother Winnie, Stanley’s sister, was a 7.3% shareholder before her death last year, and had a falling out with the magnate that started legal battles as long ago as 2000.
