A 97-year-old tycoon, his four wives and the push to revive a casino empire

The stakes are high: SJM is one of Asia's oldest gambling businesses and it still controls the largest number of casinos in Macau

In Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, few family business dynasties are as powerful as the clan led by patriarch Stanley Ho. Or as complex: The tycoon, 97, has fathered 17 children with four women he calls his wives.

Now, one branch of that sprawling family is consolidating control just as its SJM Holdings Ltd. prepares to rebid for its casino license and faces a serious challenge from Las Vegas rivals, who’ve built glitzier resorts in Macau.

Ho’s rise in the gaming enclave is one of the more dramatic stories in Chinese business. He built the Chinese city’s first casino in 1962,