Wan Kuok-koi, aka "Broken Tooth," is one of the fiercest gangsters in modern Chinese history. In 2012, he was released from prison after serving 14 years for illegal gambling, loan sharking, and his role in Macau's 1990s turf wars.That's all in the past, though. Now he's getting into the casino business, according to Hong Kong's Next Media.
The thing is no one understands how, or even why.
What is certain, though, is that his return could mean a lot for Macau.
Coming back, but to what?
Once the gambling capital of world, Macau's megacasinos have gotten crushed over the last year as the Chinese government has clamped down on corruption. Month after month, gambling revenue has plunged between 30% and 50% from the same time the year before.
High rollers especially have been chased away from the island as the VIP-junket companies that financed their gambling closed en masse. Sixteen percent of the junkets that existed in 2014 were gone by 2015.
But Broken Tooth, once a member of the 14K Triad (if you can ever leave the Triad) has just reportedly started his own VIP room. In which casino, though, we do not know.
What we do know, at least according to Next Media, is that Broken Tooth also got himself a seat on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an important political advisory committee. Powerful Macau businessmen like Melco Crown Entertainment's Lawrence Ho (son of Macau scion Stanley Ho) and Alvin Chay, another junket operator, are also on the committee.
The thing is no one understands how, or even why.
What is certain, though, is that his return could mean a lot for Macau.
Coming back, but to what?
Once the gambling capital of world, Macau's megacasinos have gotten crushed over the last year as the Chinese government has clamped down on corruption. Month after month, gambling revenue has plunged between 30% and 50% from the same time the year before.
High rollers especially have been chased away from the island as the VIP-junket companies that financed their gambling closed en masse. Sixteen percent of the junkets that existed in 2014 were gone by 2015.
But Broken Tooth, once a member of the 14K Triad (if you can ever leave the Triad) has just reportedly started his own VIP room. In which casino, though, we do not know.
What we do know, at least according to Next Media, is that Broken Tooth also got himself a seat on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an important political advisory committee. Powerful Macau businessmen like Melco Crown Entertainment's Lawrence Ho (son of Macau scion Stanley Ho) and Alvin Chay, another junket operator, are also on the committee.
