Do you have any questions about Macau?
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ahfatzia
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The Reuters article says he'll be released on Dec 1 this year, if so, he must've release early. I read so many stories of him and am believe there was a Hong Kong movie about him that I saw many years ago. Wasn't cripple Ho(?) his boss and was also from Macau?
Snomannen
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We mistake, it is a rumor.
RaptorAlpha
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Is macau chique?
ahfatzia
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After long jail term, gaming gangster faces less violent but still murky Macau
(Reuters) - Wan "Broken Tooth" Kuok-koi will emerge from jail this weekend into a very different Macau gambling haven than the one he bullied in the late-1990s.
Under new leadership, chosen at a Chinese Communist Party Congress this month where corruption was a dominant theme, Beijing is sending strong signals to Macau authorities to tighten regulation and promote responsible gaming in the world's casino capital.
It's a far cry from more than a decade ago when Wan and other triad gangsters ran amok during the final days of Portuguese rule of this southern Chinese outcrop. The bloody gangland turf wars are a thing of the past, but Macau, transformed into a booming, glitzy strip of casinos, malls and hotels - many owned by U.S. tycoons such as Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn - retains a murky underbelly where dubious money transfers are commonplace and the shadow of triad gangs still hangs.
Triads, or Chinese organized crime societies, remain a vital cog in the gambling industry, as intermediaries and junket operators - recruiting and transporting high-rollers and offering credit and recovering debts around the highly lucrative VIP gaming rooms.
The leading junkets make billions of dollars from Macau's gambling industry, bringing in over 70 percent of total gambling revenue - which has soared to $33.5 billion, five times that of Las Vegas, from just $1.7 billion in Wan's heyday. As the money has rolled in, the junket operators have diversified into movies, property and stockbroking.
The once monopolistic casino empire of gambling tycoon Stanley Ho has opened up to the Las Vegas big-hitters, but Wan's 14K triad, its branches and rival gangs are still active in Macau, say people close to the industry.
"The triads retain some kind of influence in the majority of the VIP rooms," said a security executive at one of Macau's leading casinos, who was not authorized to speak to the media. "We know there's influence because we see them around the casino floor, inside the VIP rooms. It's not an offence. Unless the police can prove money laundering, they can stay there."
TAKING NO CHANCES
It's not known whether Wan - who was jailed for more than 14 years for attempted murder, loan sharking and money laundering - will return to the business.
Wan's family members, lawyers and former associates declined to comment on his plans, though his brother Kuok-hung - himself jailed for five years in 1999 - has carved out a career in the VIP junket business. Wan was visited in jail by his brother and mother earlier this week.
While few predict Wan's release from the high-security Coloane Prison will spark a return to Macau's darker days, the authorities are taking no chances.
Last weekend, a number of Wan's former associates were arrested in a sting operation on suspicion of planning to commit murder. One of those picked up was former police officer Artur Chiang Calderon, who was first arrested in 1998 with Wan over a string of bomb attacks and bloody gang wars.
"We are well equipped to handle all situations," a spokeswoman for Macau's judiciary police said, amid local media reports of tightened security and vigilance at casinos.
"This is Beijing. They want to send a strong message by doing this," said a senior casino executive.
Kenny Leong, chief executive of Nasdaq-listed Asia Entertainment and Resources Ltd and one of Macau's leading VIP gambling room promoters, did not expect much impact from Wan's freedom. "Things are completely different now. Everything is more professionally managed," he said.
"It's a different era from before. Right now, the time is not hitting and killing."
Wan, a stocky man with often garish sartorial taste, is said to be unable to straighten the middle two fingers of one hand after being mangled by meat cleavers in a street fight. Locals say he was a common sight, driving around Macau in a mauve Ferrari.
"He was very, very influential in his time," said a former head of criminal intelligence in the Hong Kong police force, who specialized in anti-triad enforcement. "He was influential because of fear. He was extremely violent and took over a lot of businesses in a violent manner."
Earlier this week, a new, white Toyota Vellfire spacewagon pulled out of a gated compound and wound its way up to the heavily-fortified hilltop prison, where a stylish lady with long hair and dark glasses stepped out with a shy-looking, bespectacled teenage son wearing sneakers.
After an hour-long visit, Wan's wife and son declined comment when asked by Reuters how they felt about being reunited as a family. "I have nothing to say," said Wan's wife.
After long jail term, gaming gangster faces less violent but still murky Macau | Reuters
(Reuters) - Wan "Broken Tooth" Kuok-koi will emerge from jail this weekend into a very different Macau gambling haven than the one he bullied in the late-1990s.
Under new leadership, chosen at a Chinese Communist Party Congress this month where corruption was a dominant theme, Beijing is sending strong signals to Macau authorities to tighten regulation and promote responsible gaming in the world's casino capital.
It's a far cry from more than a decade ago when Wan and other triad gangsters ran amok during the final days of Portuguese rule of this southern Chinese outcrop. The bloody gangland turf wars are a thing of the past, but Macau, transformed into a booming, glitzy strip of casinos, malls and hotels - many owned by U.S. tycoons such as Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn - retains a murky underbelly where dubious money transfers are commonplace and the shadow of triad gangs still hangs.
Triads, or Chinese organized crime societies, remain a vital cog in the gambling industry, as intermediaries and junket operators - recruiting and transporting high-rollers and offering credit and recovering debts around the highly lucrative VIP gaming rooms.
The leading junkets make billions of dollars from Macau's gambling industry, bringing in over 70 percent of total gambling revenue - which has soared to $33.5 billion, five times that of Las Vegas, from just $1.7 billion in Wan's heyday. As the money has rolled in, the junket operators have diversified into movies, property and stockbroking.
The once monopolistic casino empire of gambling tycoon Stanley Ho has opened up to the Las Vegas big-hitters, but Wan's 14K triad, its branches and rival gangs are still active in Macau, say people close to the industry.
"The triads retain some kind of influence in the majority of the VIP rooms," said a security executive at one of Macau's leading casinos, who was not authorized to speak to the media. "We know there's influence because we see them around the casino floor, inside the VIP rooms. It's not an offence. Unless the police can prove money laundering, they can stay there."
TAKING NO CHANCES
It's not known whether Wan - who was jailed for more than 14 years for attempted murder, loan sharking and money laundering - will return to the business.
Wan's family members, lawyers and former associates declined to comment on his plans, though his brother Kuok-hung - himself jailed for five years in 1999 - has carved out a career in the VIP junket business. Wan was visited in jail by his brother and mother earlier this week.
While few predict Wan's release from the high-security Coloane Prison will spark a return to Macau's darker days, the authorities are taking no chances.
Last weekend, a number of Wan's former associates were arrested in a sting operation on suspicion of planning to commit murder. One of those picked up was former police officer Artur Chiang Calderon, who was first arrested in 1998 with Wan over a string of bomb attacks and bloody gang wars.
"We are well equipped to handle all situations," a spokeswoman for Macau's judiciary police said, amid local media reports of tightened security and vigilance at casinos.
"This is Beijing. They want to send a strong message by doing this," said a senior casino executive.
Kenny Leong, chief executive of Nasdaq-listed Asia Entertainment and Resources Ltd and one of Macau's leading VIP gambling room promoters, did not expect much impact from Wan's freedom. "Things are completely different now. Everything is more professionally managed," he said.
"It's a different era from before. Right now, the time is not hitting and killing."
Wan, a stocky man with often garish sartorial taste, is said to be unable to straighten the middle two fingers of one hand after being mangled by meat cleavers in a street fight. Locals say he was a common sight, driving around Macau in a mauve Ferrari.
"He was very, very influential in his time," said a former head of criminal intelligence in the Hong Kong police force, who specialized in anti-triad enforcement. "He was influential because of fear. He was extremely violent and took over a lot of businesses in a violent manner."
Earlier this week, a new, white Toyota Vellfire spacewagon pulled out of a gated compound and wound its way up to the heavily-fortified hilltop prison, where a stylish lady with long hair and dark glasses stepped out with a shy-looking, bespectacled teenage son wearing sneakers.
After an hour-long visit, Wan's wife and son declined comment when asked by Reuters how they felt about being reunited as a family. "I have nothing to say," said Wan's wife.
After long jail term, gaming gangster faces less violent but still murky Macau | Reuters
shuttler
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Also because Macau is much smaller than HK; much less resources. Macau's location at the river mouth of Zhujiang 珠江 is inferior to HK. There is constantly large amount of silt and sandy deposits in the harbour which cause trouble to the ferries. Ships of heavy tonnage cannot moor there.
shuttler
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After long jail term, gaming gangster faces less violent but still murky Macau
(Reuters) - Wan "Broken Tooth" Kuok-koi will emerge from jail this weekend into a very different Macau gambling haven than the one he bullied in the late-1990s.
After long jail term, gaming gangster faces less violent but still murky Macau | Reuters
I think this mafia boss cant get back what he owned before he served his term. He cant do nothing much in front of the PLA unless he wants to commit suicide!
ahfatzia
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You're right buddy, China's not going let these mobs run the city. "Broken Tooth" is probably going to Taiwan or Canada if he still have some money.
China takes anti-corruption drive to Macau's casino halls
(Reuters) - Chinese authorities are pressing Macau to step up scrutiny of money transfers as part of a broader move to combat corruption and promote "responsible gaming" in the casino halls of the world's largest gambling hub.
In recent weeks, Macau's gambling industry has received clear signals that tougher regulation is on its way as China's new leadership makes a priority out of tackling corruption - a blight highlighted by the recent fall from grace of Bo Xilai, a Communist Party high-flyer whose wife was found guilty of murdering a British businessman.
More than half a dozen people operating in the junket business - agents who find and ferry around high-rollers, arranging credit and collecting debts - were detained at U.S. gaming tycoon Steve Wynn's Wynn Macau casino late last month, amid local speculation about links to the disgraced Bo. A spokeswoman for Wynn Macau declined to comment.
As Beijing tightens oversight of civil servants and keeps an ever closer watch on flamboyant luxury spending, Macau is an obvious focus. The former Portuguese enclave is the only place in China where citizens can legally bet in casinos. A cash cow for local billionaires and U.S. tycoons such as Wynn and Sheldon Adelson, Macau's annual revenue from gaming is expected to hit $38 billion this year - six times that of Las Vegas.
"The Chinese government has requested to strengthen the governance of money flows," said Hoffman Ma, deputy chairman of Success Universe Group, which has a joint venture with Macau kingpin Stanley Ho's SJM Holdings to operate the Ponte 16 casino. "They don't want to take away from Macau, they want to control it more and alert people, telling them to behave."
Ma said some Chinese bank accounts have been frozen over suspect money transfers to Hong Kong. China imposes strict limits on how much money - $50,000 - its citizens can take out of the country, making Macau a valve for hot money escaping the world's second-largest economy. Net outflows surged ahead of last month's leadership change, and reports have highlighted this year how many Chinese officials, including one Agricultural Bank of China executive, have racked up big gambling debts.
CLEAR, PRECISE
Macau has always been subject to tight oversight from the mainland, but measures have been stepped up in the second half of this year, say industry executives.
Updated internal guidelines have been distributed to Macau's VIP or junket operators - a main conduit for siphoning money out of the mainland. The guidelines, circulated by the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination bureau on November 8, require junket operators to report accurate monthly lists of players, including details of when plays were made and how much was won or lost.
Transaction codes, for money both flowing in and out, on sums exceeding $500,000 have to be reported within 24 hours, and the granting of gaming credit must be reported consistently and clearly identify the relationship of all the names on the documents. The moves are in line with a broader policing of money flows after anti-money laundering standards were tightened in Hong Kong in April.
Beijing doesn't want Macau's gaming revenue to grow at a faster rate than China's GDP - currently growing at below 8 percent a year - said Tony Tong, director of strategic investment at Tak Chun Finance Group, an affiliate of one of Macau's biggest junket operators. Faster growth than GDP could be viewed as overheating, he said.
HEALTHY GAMBLING
Beijing-based Su Guojin, the first lottery expert nominated by the China Ministry of Civil Affairs, said the Chinese government wants to see Macau diversify away from gambling and earn more from leisure and tourism. Gambling accounts for more than 40 percent of Macau's GDP.
"Diversification doesn't mean total profit will fall. The proportion of non-gaming just needs to be changed," said Su. "You bring Lady Gaga, and you'll attract visitors."
Macau's non-gaming revenues from areas such as dining and entertainment make up less than 5 percent of the total, compared to more than half in Las Vegas. Yet revenue from mass market gamblers, drawn from China's expansive middle-class, continues to grow substantially - a market that is more profitable for casino operators as they don't need to pay commission to the junket middlemen.
New properties being built on Macau's Cotai strip already incorporate luxury spas, high-end retail and Michelin dining to attract a different clientele - a far cry from a decade ago when gangster Wan "Broken Tooth" Kuok-koi and triads controlled much of a seedy gaming hall industry.
Released from a 15-year jail term on Saturday, Wan told local media: "I don't want to do anything to affect the stability of Macau."
China takes anti-corruption drive to Macau's casino halls | Reuters
Next year Macau will have 6 times revenue of Las Vega. That's big business and should run like one.
China takes anti-corruption drive to Macau's casino halls
(Reuters) - Chinese authorities are pressing Macau to step up scrutiny of money transfers as part of a broader move to combat corruption and promote "responsible gaming" in the casino halls of the world's largest gambling hub.
In recent weeks, Macau's gambling industry has received clear signals that tougher regulation is on its way as China's new leadership makes a priority out of tackling corruption - a blight highlighted by the recent fall from grace of Bo Xilai, a Communist Party high-flyer whose wife was found guilty of murdering a British businessman.
More than half a dozen people operating in the junket business - agents who find and ferry around high-rollers, arranging credit and collecting debts - were detained at U.S. gaming tycoon Steve Wynn's Wynn Macau casino late last month, amid local speculation about links to the disgraced Bo. A spokeswoman for Wynn Macau declined to comment.
As Beijing tightens oversight of civil servants and keeps an ever closer watch on flamboyant luxury spending, Macau is an obvious focus. The former Portuguese enclave is the only place in China where citizens can legally bet in casinos. A cash cow for local billionaires and U.S. tycoons such as Wynn and Sheldon Adelson, Macau's annual revenue from gaming is expected to hit $38 billion this year - six times that of Las Vegas.
"The Chinese government has requested to strengthen the governance of money flows," said Hoffman Ma, deputy chairman of Success Universe Group, which has a joint venture with Macau kingpin Stanley Ho's SJM Holdings to operate the Ponte 16 casino. "They don't want to take away from Macau, they want to control it more and alert people, telling them to behave."
Ma said some Chinese bank accounts have been frozen over suspect money transfers to Hong Kong. China imposes strict limits on how much money - $50,000 - its citizens can take out of the country, making Macau a valve for hot money escaping the world's second-largest economy. Net outflows surged ahead of last month's leadership change, and reports have highlighted this year how many Chinese officials, including one Agricultural Bank of China executive, have racked up big gambling debts.
CLEAR, PRECISE
Macau has always been subject to tight oversight from the mainland, but measures have been stepped up in the second half of this year, say industry executives.
Updated internal guidelines have been distributed to Macau's VIP or junket operators - a main conduit for siphoning money out of the mainland. The guidelines, circulated by the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination bureau on November 8, require junket operators to report accurate monthly lists of players, including details of when plays were made and how much was won or lost.
Transaction codes, for money both flowing in and out, on sums exceeding $500,000 have to be reported within 24 hours, and the granting of gaming credit must be reported consistently and clearly identify the relationship of all the names on the documents. The moves are in line with a broader policing of money flows after anti-money laundering standards were tightened in Hong Kong in April.
Beijing doesn't want Macau's gaming revenue to grow at a faster rate than China's GDP - currently growing at below 8 percent a year - said Tony Tong, director of strategic investment at Tak Chun Finance Group, an affiliate of one of Macau's biggest junket operators. Faster growth than GDP could be viewed as overheating, he said.
HEALTHY GAMBLING
Beijing-based Su Guojin, the first lottery expert nominated by the China Ministry of Civil Affairs, said the Chinese government wants to see Macau diversify away from gambling and earn more from leisure and tourism. Gambling accounts for more than 40 percent of Macau's GDP.
"Diversification doesn't mean total profit will fall. The proportion of non-gaming just needs to be changed," said Su. "You bring Lady Gaga, and you'll attract visitors."
Macau's non-gaming revenues from areas such as dining and entertainment make up less than 5 percent of the total, compared to more than half in Las Vegas. Yet revenue from mass market gamblers, drawn from China's expansive middle-class, continues to grow substantially - a market that is more profitable for casino operators as they don't need to pay commission to the junket middlemen.
New properties being built on Macau's Cotai strip already incorporate luxury spas, high-end retail and Michelin dining to attract a different clientele - a far cry from a decade ago when gangster Wan "Broken Tooth" Kuok-koi and triads controlled much of a seedy gaming hall industry.
Released from a 15-year jail term on Saturday, Wan told local media: "I don't want to do anything to affect the stability of Macau."
China takes anti-corruption drive to Macau's casino halls | Reuters
Next year Macau will have 6 times revenue of Las Vega. That's big business and should run like one.
ahfatzia
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Either that or the Caribbeans. I don't know what about now but Taiwan always had a tradition of welcoming HK mobsters that can not hack it there. Even today Taiwan society is highly controlled by local mobs, so it's all depends on his connections.
terranMarine
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Or he could stay in Macau but indeed his chances to lecture the city is over. That was the case before sovereignty was returned to China now PLA are in charge.
Mission statement:
The mission of the PLA in Macau is to defend the special administrative region by "preventing and resisting aggression; safe-guarding the security of Macau; undertaking defence services; managing military facilities; and handling related foreign military affairs." The PLA can also be called upon by the chief executive to help maintain public order and assist with disaster relief efforts.
Around 500-600 PLA soldiers are stationed in Macau, maffia won't want to fight this kind of number of soldiers
Mission statement:
The mission of the PLA in Macau is to defend the special administrative region by "preventing and resisting aggression; safe-guarding the security of Macau; undertaking defence services; managing military facilities; and handling related foreign military affairs." The PLA can also be called upon by the chief executive to help maintain public order and assist with disaster relief efforts.
Around 500-600 PLA soldiers are stationed in Macau, maffia won't want to fight this kind of number of soldiers
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