Hong Kong Construction Titan Turned Macau Casino Boss Lui Che-Woo Dies Aged 95

Lui Che Woo, the casino tycoon who helped propel Macau to eclipse rival Las Vegas in gambling revenues, has died at the age of 95, his company said in a statement late on Monday.

Lui, chairman of Macau casino company Galaxy Entertainment, died in Hong Kong on Nov. 7, it said, adding that his “vision, tremendous leadership and guidance” were the foundation for the group’s development and continued success.

Also the chairman of K. Wah Group, a Hong Kong-listed company focused on construction and quarry mining before turning to property, Lui was widely recognised in both Hong Kong and Macau as an influential businessman with close ties to the Chinese government.

One of Hong Kong’s richest men, Lui kept a low profile and was always seen wearing a flat cap as he went about the city and when he attended press conferences.

A member of China’s national advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Lui had close ties to Beijing and was part of a business delegation that met with President Xi Jinping in 2014 in China’s capital.

Galaxy Entertainment holds one of six coveted gaming licenses that were granted after Macau liberalised the casino industry in 2002.

Competing with rivals like the now deceased Stanley Ho, whose family runs the SJM Holdings casino empire, the late U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson and Wynn Resorts founder Steve Wynn, Lui steered Galaxy to become of Macau’s top operators.

It operates several large casino resorts in Macau, both on the Las Vegas-style Cotai strip and on the teeming main peninsula.