Through his flagship firm SJM Holdings, the billionaire eventually owned and operated 20 casinos in Macau, some years contributing more than 70 per cent of the city’s tax revenue and consistently employing a significant portion of Macau’s workforce, a feat that led to an entire avenue in the city being named after him. An awardee of both the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Great Cross of the Order of Prince Henrique—an order of knighthood in Portugal—he single handedly transformed the territory of Macau and made it the world’s most lucrative gaming destination, edging out Las Vegas.

But Ho himself stayed far away from the casino floors. “I don’t gamble at all. I don’t have the patience,” he told The Associated Press in a rare interview in 2001, admitting he preferred to channel his energy towards one of his hobbies: dancing. Over the years he mastered the chacha, waltz, tango, ballroom and swing, and was a major supporter of Hong Kong’s dance scene.

“I feel a little guilty,” he told Tatler in 2002, speaking about the extent of his wealth. “I therefore give a lot to charity to have a balance, to give something back.” Ho donated large sums to institutions such as the University of Hong Kong and Po Leung Kuk, a Hong Kong organisation that supports orphaned children. In 2007, he famously paid US$330,000 in a charity phone auction for 1.5 kilograms of white Italian truffle to benefit the organisations Caritas Macau, Britain’s Consortium for Street Children and Telethon in Italy.

In his final decade he split his financial assets between his three surviving wives of four and 15 surviving children of 17, with Pansy, Ho’s eldest daughter with Lucina Lam, replacing her father as chairman of Shun Tak Holdings and Daisy, Pansy’s younger sister, taking the reins of SJM. Ho leaves behind a legacy that will not soon be forgotten. Whether cruising in Cotai, hitting the slots, or dining in style at the Grand Lisboa, Macau’s citizens and visitors will hear his name echo in the air—like the ringing of a jackpot bell—for generations to come.

See also: Model Behaviour: Laurinda Ho Talks Business And Using Her Fame For Good