Mario Ho Clarifies Why He No Longer Describes Himself As 'Stanley Ho's Fourth Wife's Son' In His Weibo Bio

Casino magnate Stanley Ho’s death has cast a renewed spotlight on his family, as netizens have become extremely interested to find out how the billionaire has split his fortune among his family members, which include his three wives and 14 children.

The massive scrutiny is probably why it wasn't a good time for Stanley’s youngest son, Mario Ho, to update his Weibo profile. His verified bio on the platform used to read ‘Hongkong public figure (and) casino king Stanley Ho’s fourth wife’s son’, but on the May 29, netizens noticed that his new bio read ‘Macau E-sports Association Chairman, iDreamSky Partner, Shenzhen Victory 5 E-Sports Chairman’.

This became a hugely debated issue on Weibo, as some netizens wondered if the 25-year-old was that eager to break off ties with his family . One netizen wrote: “Your dad hasn’t even been gone a week. Aren’t you being a little ungrateful?” Another wondered, “Are you trying to make it on your own and become independent now?”

Mario then decided to step up to clarify the situation. He uploaded a long statement on his Weibo, which read: “I never thought I’d have to post a clarification when I was feeling so down. My dad once told me that I shouldn’t let others bully me, because if I let it slide once, there will definitely be a second time. That’s why I have to face this bravely. That’s why I’m here to ask you an important question today: [Is it so hard for you] to act like a human under such circumstances?”

He went on to explain that he applied for the change in his verified status at the end of last year. His old status was written when he first joined Weibo seven years ago, and he felt that now was the time to change it as he has started working.

He also took the opportunity to clarify speculation about his son, Ronaldo, who is also Stanley’s first male grandson to carry the Ho family name.

“Please use your brains to think about it. As a respected elderly man, what do you think he wanted in his final years? A booming career? More women? Even more money? He had his career, family, riches and fame, so is it so difficult to believe that all he wanted was a grandson?”

Mario continued: “I haven’t taken a single cent from my dad since I started my business. My [share of the] inheritance has been decided since I was 15. When I chose to go to China when I was 21, I promised my mother that I would return home to help her [with the family business] if I didn’t make it by the time I was 28.”

Photos: PBE Media