Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | May 2011 8 In Focus Into the Glare Notorious triad boss Wan Kuok-koi will soon be released from prison into the bright lights of a new Macau, reports Jack Regan W hether a measure of his enduring influence on the underworld or a reaction born out of noteriety, the jitters in official Macau circles over the release from prison next year of “Broken Tooth’’Wan Kuok-koi are instructive. The 14K triad boss, who at the height of his power in 1998 graced TIME Magazine and was tipped—audaciously—by the publication as being “set to become one of the world’s top crime bosses” has spent the last 13 years in a specially-built jail in Coloane. While he has been away, Macau’s casino landscape has changed beyond recognition. The monopoly has gone and Las Vegas has come to town. Indeed, when the now 56-year-old gangster comes blinking out into the sunlight on 31st March next year, he might need a map to find some of his old stomping grounds. On the other hand, he might not. Last month, security officials expressed exert control of some VIP operations. Police with a deep and long-standing knowledge of the licensing system for the junkets say it is far from perfect. One former police officer with close ties to the casino industry says: “If you look down the list of licensed junket operators in Macau, sure, you will not find one known triad among them. But I can assure you, none of the big junket operators in Macau could operate unless they were connected to the triads. “We are talking the traditional triad operators in Macau plus the Sun Yee On and Wo Hop To from Hong Kong and others. There’s just too much money washing about for them not to be involved. It’s a proxy system, so it’s no surprise that there is quite a degree of concern about the release of Wan Kuok-koi.’’ Others take a more measured view, pointing out that the junket licensing system is not the only weapon available in the fight concerns that Mr Wan may be planning to re-establish his influence in the VIP casino business on his release—a move they worry could upset the very full apple cart of the city’s gaming industry and years of careful work to clean up the image of the city which now stands proud as the world’s biggest gaming destination. As a result, and despite official denials that any special measures will be put in place, insiders say casino regulators will step up the scrutiny of applications for VIP junket licences to head off any such attempt by Mr Wan. Junkets are the businesses which bring high-rolling gamblers to casinos and generate the bulk of Macau’s gaming income. The question is, how successful will they be? VIP revenuemakes up around 70%of the city’s casino take, and members of Mr Wan’s family plus possibly members of his old crew who have already been released from jail still Back in the headlines—the Hong Kong media has been rife with speculation about Wan Kuok-koi’s upcoming release