Media reports criticizing gaming mogul Stanley Ho for some of the ‘smutty jokes’ made at his premier operation in Macau the Casino Lisboa, were more concerned with the impact Ho’s comments made on the dignitaries than on the nature of the funny lines delivered by the casino operator.

As reporters seek to impress their readers with tabloid style reporting, which for the sake of impact must be controversial, The Hindustan Time electronic media timed their piece to read: “There were red faces all round when Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho turned the air blue with smutty jokes at a gala Chinese New Year ball attended by the city's top dignitaries.”

Whingeing about the sour disposition of Macao’s Governor Edmund Ho, upon listening to Mr Ho’s reported jibe at his Gala guests, the piece seeks to interpret comments made by a ‘source’ on the play on words where the Cantonese slang for prostitute is the word chicken, as allusive to the Rooster of the celebrations. As the piece is reported third hand, we thought we could also allow both licence and first hand knowledge of such occasions, and give Mr Ho the benefit of the doubt for what he could have said at his Year of The Rooster Gala.

For those who know the punch line delivery skills of most casino operators, two things may happen: either the timing goes off or, when the joke originates in a different language, translation manages to conceal something in the process. It is fairly obvious to assume, then, that Ho’s reported taunt on his high rollers was not that they might be out with prostitutes when they go to his casino, but that the wives should accompany their husbands, lest a pretty (call) girl may prove too much of an attraction. The idea, as always, is to offer the casino facilities to both partners. (E-02.10.05)

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