Macau gaming tycoon undergoes brain surgery - report

HONG KONG Aug 4 (Reuters) - Veteran Macau gaming tycoon Stanley Ho has undergone brain surgery in Hong Kong and is in intensive care, local media reported on Tuesday, as stocks in his flagship gaming firm dipped on the news.

The 87-year-old was taken to a Hong Kong hospital last week after falling and hurting his head during a family gathering, the Apple Daily newspaper reported.

Sometimes known as the godfather of gambling, Ho, a patriarch of mixed European and Chinese parentage, heads an extended clan of 17 children born to his four wives.

Some of Ho's relatives were photographed visiting him at the private Adventist Hospital on Hong Kong island.

Shares in Ho's gaming flagship, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) Holdings (0880.HK) were five percent lower in early trading, lagging other Macau-linked gaming sector stocks which have rebounded strongly of late.

SJM gave no immediate comment on Ho's condition when contacted by Reuters.

Analysts have said the succession of Ho's vast business holdings could be problematic given his extended family and simmering family feuds including a bitter court battle with his sister Winnie who delayed SJM's Hong Kong listing last year.

Ho was worth $8 billion last year, according to Forbes magazine, making him the world's 113th wealthiest individual, but his wealth took a big hit from the financial crisis and dwindled to just $1 billion this February according to Forbes.

One of his daughters, Josie Ho, has forged a career as an Asian film star known for risque roles, while another daughter, Pansy Ho, who helps run part of Ho's corporate empire and Macau's MGM Grand, is seen as one of Asia's most powerful businesswomen.

(Reporting by James Pomfret and Fion Li; Editing by David Fox)