Taipei- Lawrence Ho, son of Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho, on Friday expressed interest in building casinos in Taiwan.

"If the Taiwan government lifts the ban on gambling, I am interested in making investments in Taiwan," he said while attending a seminar in Taipei on Taiwan, Hong Kong and China business opportunities.

Ho said Taiwan has a ideal geographical location, being near South-East Asia and China.

When asked how much he wanted to invest in Taiwan, Ho said it should be about 20 billion to 30 billion Hong Kong dollars (2.57 billion to 3.85 billion US dollars), the same amount he has invested in Macau and Singapore, respectively.

Lawrence Ho is the chairman of Melco International Development Ltd, which is involved in building leisure resorts, entertainment facilities and casinos in many countries.

Taiwan is drafting a law to legalize gambling, hoping to develop the Penghu Archipelago, a group of 64 islands in the Taiwan Strait, into a special zone for gambling to lure foreign tourists. (dpa)