Gambler can bet on afterlife

The family of late casino mogul Yip Hon has made sure the gambler does not lack tools of the trade to try his luck in the afterlife.

Among the paper offerings at a memorial service yesterday at the Hong Kong Funeral Home were a baccarat table and two card dealers, to be burnt in a traditional ritual for the recently departed.

There were also a paper Bentley and a Rolls-Royce, two cars which Yip imported from Las Vegas after one of his great victories at the tables in the 1980s.

Yip, 93, died from a heart attack on May 7. Second son and Winton Holdings chairman, Yip Wai-chau, 71, said: 'The family thought they would be appropriate offerings for the old man. He was a great man and many people liked and respected him.' The funeral will begin at 11 am today and the body will be taken in a hearse to Guangdong's Jiangmen city for burial.

Tributes have flowed in from as far away as Las Vegas, where the seasoned gambler was referred to as 'the Grandfather'. The Desert Inn and the Horseshoe Casino sent wreaths. Magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun, who is expected at the funeral, sent a banner. Mr Yip said his father actively discouraged his children - five sons and a daughter - from gambling. Except for youngest son Bing-yiu, a pharmacist, four sons were trained to take over the billion-dollar businesses in restaurants, taxis, trading and property.