WHISPERS follow gambling tycoon Stanley Ho like a shadow.
Now, these whispers have made their way to Singapore, casting its shadow over Genting International's plans to operate its integrated resort at Sentosa.

A probe is underway by the Government following reports that the 86-year-old Mr Ho may gain a foothold in Singapore, in exchange for giving Genting and Star Cruises a stake in his booming Macau casino empire.

A Genting spokesman promptly denied the report.


'Mr Ho will not be having an interest in the Resorts World at Sentosa project,' said Genting's spokesman for the Singapore project, Mr Jackson Loy.

But the Government is still proceeding with its probe, which began last month after Mr Ho had acquired a stake in Hong Kong-listed Star Cruises, which has a 25 per cent interest in the Sentosa resort.

'The Casino Regulation Division is seeking clarification from Star Cruises/Genting International about the share placement and the other deals in Macau,' a spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in response to media queries on Friday.

Why is Singapore, one of the most business- and investor-friendly places in the world, concerned over one man?

Singapore is not the only country to raise an eyebrow over Mr Ho.

In the US, New Jersey casino regulators have stepped in to review MGM Mirage's licence after the company tied up with Mr Ho's daughter, Pansy Ho, to build a casino in Macau.

Casinos in Singapore are a sensitive issue.

Legalised gambling can present a whole host of social ills, including money laundering, prostitution and loan sharking.

And behind such ills lurk organised crime - something which the Government views with zero tolerance.

This is why checks are allowed for under the Casino Control Act, where the integrated resort operators, their shareholder and partners are subjected to on-going checks.

What is it about Mr Ho that makes regulators nervous?

Mostly, it's the reputation of Macau, where Mr Ho reigns. Organised crime is rife. So is money laundering, buying political influence in the West, insider trading, and arranging violent assaults on enemies.

Forty years of whispers. But not a single shred of proof to take a big gun to court.

What is known about Mr Ho is that he is ranked 84th on Forbes' 100 richest people in the world.

He's an avid dancer. He's a generous and devoted family man to his 17 children - by his four wives. (See other report.)

He is an interesting character, willing to speak to the press about his personal life with his four wives, and how he rations his time and attention between them.

He owns all 17 casinos in Macau, much of the land, its best hotels and even the high-speed ferries that bring in waves of high-rolling gamblers from Hong Kong and China.

He officially opens the HK$3 billion ($388m) Grand Lisboa Hotel, a gold tower designed to look like a giant lotus flower, today.

Alongside the triumphs is an ongoing feud with his sister, Ms Winnie Ho, 85.

The bitter six-year public battle has thrown up court documents that Ms Ho claims link her brother to money laundering and organised crime.

Ms Ho is the only person to directly confront Mr Ho with such accusations.

Other critics and enemies rely on whisper campaigns.

Attack: There was talk when Ms Ho's lawyer, Mr Albert Ho (no relation), was set upon by a gang of men wielding batons in a McDonald's restaurant in August last year.

Who ordered the attack? The talk led the casino king to issue a statement denying any involvement.

However the lawyer, who has since recovered, is also a leading Hong Kong pro-democracy legislator who had been threatened before by constituents angered by his political reforms.

Crime: It has been alleged that some of the burglaries and robberies that occurred in Macau casinos were related to conflicts between Mr Ho and triad groups.

Insider trading: A 1999 probe by the Philippine Stock Exchange into the spectacular rise and fall in the share price of a gaming company with links to Mr Ho caused political damage and led to several people being charged with insider trading.