Top 5 Richest Casino Owners In Asia

October 3, 2022 Macau Earnings & Filings Industry Updates

In terms of gambling and casinos, the law changes greatly across the Asian continent.

Some countries have strict anti-gambling laws while others proudly advertise their incredible casino complexes.

The huge number of people that live in and visit Asia has seen the demand for casinos in the continent to become massive.

This has meant that the few areas that allow and promote casinos, such as Macau, have become immensely popular, attracting millions of gamblers every year.

Casinos are high in demand but short in supply in Asia, meaning their owners gain incredible amounts of wealth and power.

Both of which they have used to transform Asia’s gambling industry into the biggest in the world.

1. Lui Che Woo – $12.4 Billion
Lui Che Woo first made his fortune by launching K. Wah Group, a quarry operator that focused on importing construction equipment from Okinawa to Hong Kong.

K. Wah Group was eventually expanded to include property developments with locations spread across Southeast Asia.

After Stanley Ho’s monopoly on Macau’s gambling sector came to an end in 2002, Woo’s entertainment company, Galaxy Entertainment Group, won one of the three gaming concessions for the island.

2. Stanley Ho – $6.4 Billion
Stanley Ho was one of the most famous casino owners Asia has ever seen.

Known both as “The Godfather” and “The King of Gambling” he was the founder and chairman of SJM Holdings, which had a government-granted monopoly on Macau’s gambling scene for 40 years.

3. Pansy Ho – $3.2 Billion
Despite being the daughter of Macau’s biggest casino legend, Stanley Ho, Pansy did not always work in the casino business.

Instead, she first pursued a career as an actress and then launched a highly successful PR company, called Occasions.

Nowadays, Ho is deeply involved in Macau’s casino scene. She gained shares in casino industry giant MGM Resorts after the company sought to increase its stake in MGM China.

4. Chen Lip Keong – $2.4 Billion
With a net worth of $2.4 billion, Chen Lip Keong is Malaysia’s 7th richest person.

Keong made his money in Cambodia, having first traveled there in the hope of finding oil.

While his search for black gold would fail, Keong did not leave the country empty handed.

Instead, his Malaysian company, NagaCorp, won an international tourism opportunity in 1994.

5. Lim Kok Thay – $2.2 Billion
Lim Goh Tong founded Genting Group in 1965. He steadily built his empire by developing, marketing, and operating global integrated resorts.

Lim Kok Thay, Tong’s second child now chairs the business, having been appointed as director in 1976.