Macau legend Stanley Ho undergoes brain surgery
Posted by Chloe Flint on 07 Aug 2009 at 09:08
Legendary Macau gambling tycoon Stanley Ho has undergone a brain operation in Hong Kong and is in intensive care, according to local media reports.
Reuters said stocks in his gaming firm dipped due to the news.
According to the financial news agency, the Apple Daily newspaper said the 87-year-old was treated in hospital in Hong Kong last week after he fell and hit his head during a family gathering.
Mr Ho is known as the father of big-time gambling in Macau and has 17 children by four wives.
Some of his relatives were photographed by the press visiting him at the Adventist Hospital, a private facility on Hong Kong Island.
On Wednesday Bloomberg reported a spokeswoman declared Mr Ho was in a satisfactory condition after the surgery.
Analysts have previously said what will happen to his vast business holdings on succession is hard to call due to his extended family and a number of family feuds.
Reuters reported Ho was worth $8 billion in 2008, according to Forbes magazine, although his wealth is thought to have dwindled thanks to the financial crisis and may have hit as low as $1 billion in February, Forbes said.
Among his children is Josie Ho, an Asian film star, and Pansy Ho, who is part of his business empire and is also in partnership with MGM Mirage at the MGM Grand in Macau.
