Stanley Ho, who built Macao's gambling industry, dies at 98

HONG KONG : Stanley Ho, the Macao casino tycoon who was considered the father of modern gambling in China, died Tuesday in Hong Kong, his daughter Pansy Ho said. He was 98. Known as the “King of Gambling," the dashing billionaire and bon vivant secured a four-decade monopoly on casinos in Macao, then parlayed his home advantage to build the empire that still dominated the industry after it opened to foreign companies in 2002. He was the former Portuguese colony's richest person, a lavish spender and accomplished ballroom dancer who wielded great influence both in Macao and in neighboring Hong Kong while — according to U.S. authorities — maintaining ties to organized crime. Tall, handsome and...