In a keynote address at G2E Asia on Thursday, Mario Ho said Macau must emphasise its sports culture to tap into the next generation of players.
The youngest son of gambling kingpin Stanley Ho said he envisioned a “sports-plus” model that moves beyond traditional casinos to leverage the appeal of international sports and its digital cousin, esports. Together, they are “quietly redefining how cities and destinations compete for the next generation”, he said.
“The question is no longer when Asia will lead the next decade of global sports,” Ho said. “The real question is, which city and which operator will move first?”
He called on “governments, investors, technology partners, sport operators and IR operators” to meet the challenge. “We all need to come together,” he said. “The opportunity is clear.”
In 2024, Ho became the youngest founder of a Nasdaq-listed Asian company, the international esports company NIP Group. Now 31, he is also co-owner of the Boston Celtics. He said sport’s universal appeal “breaks down barriers that politics, business and traditional media simply cannot”.
For example, more than six billion people, or 75% of the world’s population, are expected to watch the 2026 Fifa World Cup. The month-long tourney, with events spanning the US, Canada and Mexico, could generate up to $4 billion in total wagers.
For a piece of that action, said Ho, Macau needs “conviction”. It must “work to reduce our dependence on traditional gaming as a single engine of growth”.
‘Sports, culture, tourism, technology’
Mario Ho was born in Hong Kong in 1995 to Stanley Ho and his fourth wife, Angela Leong, now co-chair of Macau gaming operator SJM Holdings. A math prodigy from childhood, he attended both Oxford and MIT before joining Tencent-backed iDreamsky Technology as chief marketing officer.
In 2019, he founded Shenzhen V5 Esports Club, which merged with Wuhan eStar Esports Club to form ESVF. That entity then acquired Swedish esports team Ninjas in Pyjamas to create the NIP Group.
NIP touts an ecosystem spanning “esports teams, arenas and events, content and influencer networks, game publishing and hospitality. … Operating across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, we … push the boundaries of interactive entertainment and bring gaming to new audiences worldwide.”
Its fan community numbers in the “hundreds of millions”. According to the Macau Daily Times, in 2024 China alone was home to 668 million esports gamers. Ho calls it “sports plus culture plus tourism plus technology”, a movement that can propel the entertainment economy across Asia.
“The next generation of integrated resorts will not be defined solely by hotel rooms, restaurants and gaming floors,” he said at G2E, held at the Venetian Macao. “It will become something far more comprehensive – a true industrial platform.”
Marjorie Preston
Marjorie began her gaming career in 2007 and has focused on Asian gaming markets since 2020. Outside of work, she writes about travel and film and plays the drums.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/tourism/mario-ho-macaus-future-must-include-sports-esports/
