Stanley Ho has been a large figure in gambling and has recently been struggling with his health. In the past year he has been in and out of the hospitals with a variety of issues. In August of last year he underwent a surgery that was unspecified, and later that year was submitted again after falling and hitting his head. The rumor spread that he had a brain condition which would explain the first surgery, and possibly could lead to thought on the following incident.
Ho has been a major player in the gambling world and now has over half of the licenses within his family of the casinos in Macau. HE also had the gambling monopoly sewed up in Macau for nearly 40 years before his string of luck ran out in 2002. This billionaire has been alleged to have ties with the mafia which has caused quite a bit of controversy within the gambling communities. It is also the reason that some governments don’t want to go into business with him as they are not sure of his reputation.
Now Ho has been released from the hospital in Hong Kong, and the stock markets are once again happy. When Ho entered into the hospital each time, his gambling stock dropped due to the news. Now that he has returned, his stock once again rose, showing the full power that this one man has over the casinos and gambling in Macau. His company SJM is now benefiting from the release of the billionaire as they have the largest market share in all things gambling in Macau. At his ripe old age, Ho should be looking towards a successor who will continue the family business with as much faith from the investors as he has. The idea that one man’s health will determine the rise and fall of a company is a sign that extreme measures must be prepared for the future. At least for now the Gambling King is returning to his throne which is making everyone very happy.
