Casino tycoon Lui Che Woo dies at 95

Lui Che Woo, the influential Hong Kong tycoon whose wealth surged alongside the burgeoning casino industry in Macau, has passed away at the age of 95.

He passed away November 7, as announced by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd., the company he founded and led as chairman.

The company’s board praised Lui for his visionary leadership, noting that his guidance laid the groundwork for the group’s ongoing success.

Lui was among Hong Kong’s wealthiest individuals, with an estimated net worth of USD14.5 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

He established his business empire from the ground up in what has become the world’s largest gambling destination, navigating fierce competition from industry giants like Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson.

In 2002, he secured a gaming license after the government of Macau ended a 40-year monopoly held by Stanley Ho, known as the “King of Gambling,” who passed away in 2020.

His first major venture into the casino sector was the StarWorld Macau resort, which opened in 2006.

This was followed by the launch of Galaxy Macau in 2011.

Reflecting on his journey, Lui once remarked to Hong Kong’s Phoenix Television, “Don’t just think, ‘Oh, he’s got so rich!’ You don’t know how many obstacles he’s had to go through,” as cited in a Bloomberg report.

Born on August 9, 1929, in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, China, Lui’s early life was marked by upheaval.

His family fled to British-controlled Hong Kong in 1934 to escape turmoil in mainland China. However, their relative prosperity was shattered during the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941. Lui attended primary school but left after one year of secondary education due to his reluctance to study Japanese. By age 13, he had begun supporting his family, which eventually included five sisters, by selling Chinese baked goods.

The media outlet recalled that Lui entered the gaming industry in 2002 in partnership with Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp. However, the collaboration was short-lived, as differences in vision led to their split.

Adelson aimed to replicate Las Vegas in China, while Lui focused on catering to Asian preferences, emphasizing Chinese dining options and clear signage throughout his establishments. His son, Francis, noted in a 2006 interview that his father found American casinos confusing and reminiscent of mazes.

According to the Bloomberg report, despite his immense success in the gambling sector, Lui was known for other passions, including golf and Chinese calligraphy, and he enjoyed playing mah-jong. In a notable philanthropic effort, he established a “prize for world civilization” in 2015 with a cash award of HK$20 million, significantly higher than that of a Nobel Prize.

The same report noted that in a 2018 interview, he described this award as similar to the Nobel Peace Prize but broader in scope, recognizing contributions to sustainable development and human welfare. Past laureates include organizations like The Nature Conservancy and notable figures such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Lui was married to Lui Chiu Kam-ping in 1952, and together they had five children. LV