Who is Mario Ho, casino mogul Stanley Ho’s heir and Asia’s youngest founder of a Nasdaq-listed company?

NIP Group, an esports company founded by Mario in 2018, was publicly listed on Nasdaq on July 26, marking it as the first esports stock from China, according to the South China Morning Post. On the same day, Nasdaq Vice-Chairman Bob McCooey praised Mario for being the youngest founder of a Nasdaq-listed company in Asia.

Business Insider reports that Mario holds a 13.6% stake in the firm and controls 36.6% of the voting rights.

“Looking back at this journey, we started as an esports team [and] has now grown into becoming the representation of the global esports industry,” Mario stated during the bell-ringing ceremony at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York City.

Mario comes from a large family with diverse business interests ranging from casinos to shipping to real estate. His father Stanley, who passed away in 2020, fathered 17 children with four different women he considered wives.

The family’s fortune is estimated at approximately US$13 billion, according to Bloomberg’s wealth index. As of Sep. 23, Forbes estimated that Mario’s mother Angela Leong possesses a net worth of US$2.4 billion, ranking her as the 33rd wealthiest individual on its 2024 list of Hong Kong’s 50 richest people. The majority of Leong’s wealth derives from her extensive real estate holdings in Hong Kong, Macau, and major cities across China.

Additionally, she serves as the managing director and the largest individual shareholder of SJM Holdings, holding 12% of the company’s shares. SJM Holdings, established by Stanley, operates 13 casinos in Macau and is one of the six companies authorized to operate casinos there.

(From L) Mario Ho, his wife Ming Xi, his mother Angela Leong, and his younger sister Alice Ho. Photo from Mario Ho’s Instagram

Since his childhood, Mario has demonstrated his mathematical talent, with his LinkedIn profile revealing that he ranked first in the Hong Kong World Mathematics Open in 2008 and 2009 and won the gold medal at the British National Mathematics Open for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012.

According to Bloomberghe graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It is worth noting that he completed a four-year course in only three years, as reported by the Singaporean news outlet 8days.

Following his graduation, the billionaire heir joined the business world, initially serving as the chief marketing officer at Tencent-backed iDreamsky Technology Holdings Ltd. before launching his own esports company in 2018, which later merged with a similar venture in Wuhan. The company, initially known as ESVF Esports Group, merged with Swedish esports company Ninjas in Pyjamas Gaming in January 2023 and was renamed NIP Group two months later.

Under Mario’s leadership, NIP Group has secured tier-1 world tournament victories in CS, Honor of Kings, Rainbow Six, and FIFA, all of which are among the top 10 esports titles in the world by prize pool. The company also generates revenue through live streams of esports and third-party influencers, event production, and its esports arm. It is also exploring opportunities in esports real estate, digital collectibles, and esports training camps, among other strategies, according to a company filing.

“I hope NIP Group can become a bridge between China and the world, between young people and esports, and between Chinese culture and global trends, allowing more people to experience esports and connect with China,” he told the Global Times.

The listing of Mario’s company represents a significant achievement for a Chinese esports company, especially since many prior investments in the industry have failed, including those by Wang Sicong, the 36-year-old son of Chinese property mogul Wang Jianlin.

“I chose to do something different,” Mario declared to Bloomberg. “In my lifetime, I want to write my own stories.”

The billionaire heir married Chinese supermodel Ming Xi, 35, in 2019, following a grand romantic gesture involving 99,999 roses. They have a son and a daughter together.