HONG KONG (AP) — Macao casino tycoon Stanley Ho has died, his daughter Pansy Ho said Tuesday. He was 98.

The dashing billionaire and bon vivant was considered the father of modern gambling in China. He had a four-decade monopoly on casinos in Macao and maintained his dominance after its industry opened to foreign companies in 2002.

He spent lavishly while wielding great influence both in Macao and in neighboring Hong Kong while — according to U.S. authorities — maintaining ties to organized crime.

He fathered 17 children with four women, and his extended family engaged in high-profile squabbles over his empire during his later years.