Kung hei fat choi/Gong xi fa cai. As the Year of Pig dawns, Stanley Ho’s daughter Pansy Ho has again moved to seize the family empire.

After leading the 2011 coup against her father that gave Ho and siblings a big piece of the patrimony, she now wants control of SJM Holdings, the casino operator that’s the legacy of her father’s 40 year reign as Mr Macau, currently run by Angela Leong, his fourth wife.

Pansy Ho’s move raises complicated issues about Macau’s gaming future and begs one simple question.

Shun Tak Holdings, headed by Pansy Ho, has announced an alliance with the Fok Foundation to control SJM. According to a January 23 Hong Kong stock market filing, the alliance partners hold 53 percent of Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM) which in turn owns 54 percent of SJM.