Casino Redux
Author: Anthony Cabot
2025, Huntington Press, 662 pages
For years, I’ve been proud to tell anyone who would listen that the Mob is long gone from casino gaming. But this month, I finished reading Anthony Cabot’s latest book “Casino Redux.”
I now have a completely revised opinion: the Mob is, and has been, back. Not the old Mob of New York, New Jersey, Miami and other infamous locales. This new Mob has been here for a while, but they have been somewhat hidden from many of us. That seems strange since this new group could accurately be described as a “Super Mob” or the “Mob of All Mobs.” Their actual name is the “Chinese Triads.”
Thanks to Hollywood and crime headlines from the past, we’ve all probably heard of the ruthless gangsters like “Little Man” Lansky, “Lucky” Luciano, “Don” Vito Genovese, “Tony the Ant” Spilotro and “Fat Herbie” Blitzstein, or “Lefty” Rosenthal.
Today, in that same vein, are similar alleged crime bosses: “Broken Tooth” Wan, “Street Market” Wai, Tse Chi Lop, Alvin Chau and many others. What they lack in widespread name recognition, they make up for in brutality, reach and scale. This new mob makes the infamous Italian and Jewish mafias look like girl scouts selling cookies in comparison.
Nonetheless, it is fascinating how Cabot spends much of this book describing how these newer gangs modeled much of their organization and strategy after those infamous early American crime groups memorialized in Hollywood classics like “The Godfather,” “Casino” and “Goodfellas.”
Of course, the world’s casinos play a critical role in all the illegal Triad activities. They are either the source of, or the way to launder, the tremendous amounts of money they generate from illegal pursuits.
Not only are their funds from gambling, but also from the old mob favorites: illicit drugs, human trafficking, extortion, smuggling, etc. Cabot, in great detail, explains how the Triads have become the largest money laundering operation in the world.
Make no mistake, while the Triads do have tentacles into the U.S. (including Las Vegas), this is truly a worldwide operation with roots in mainland China and a proving ground in the casino haven of nearby Macau. You may think my “girl scout” reference above is exaggerated…until you read this book.
Gaming revenues in Macau (with just three licensed operators and three sub- affiliates) are five times greater than all of Las Vegas combined. From the first cards dealt, the Triads have their hands in the Macau action in one way or another. Most of that came from their connections to junket operators and VIP rooms within those casinos.
Cabot documents in great detail the gaming spend of those who use the Triads’ junkets. These players do not just gamble millions; they wager hundreds of millions…often on a single visit.
Cabot also explains the Triads’ extensive casino crime and money laundering efforts in:
• Vancouver, Canada
• Australia
• The Philippines
• Saipan
• Thailand
• Myanmar
• Palau
• Cambodia
• Laos
• Tinian
• California Card Clubs
• Las Vegas VIP rooms
If that list seems long, so is this book. It is 662 pages in paperback. That sheer size may deter some readers as it is not quick read. However, Cabot does a good job of keeping the narrative interesting through most of those pages.
I vividly remember several years back when a surveillance video surfaced online showing a back-of-the-house casino cage in British Columbia. A man approached the cashier window and opened a large duffle bag stuffed with $20 bills in $10,000 bundles. He traded them in for chips, and I didn’t see a single paperwork transaction performed.
I couldn’t understand how this could happen since these were Canadian government-run casinos. Read this book, and you will understand.
Author Anthony Cabot
Like that older video, many of us were shocked to see the million-dollar money laundering fines levied in Las Vegas recently for accepting play from an illegal sports bookie. The surprise was that the fines were directed at some of the industry’s biggest names: MGM, Wynn, Resorts World, and Caesars. But, again, those indiscretions were “chump change” compared to the Triads’ activity in Macau.
This book also notes how these gangsters manage to escape most of the expected penalties. It also provides some clues as to why so many executives looked the other way. You can’t help but think they were all disciples of the fictional film trader Gordon Gecko who said, “Greed is good.”
That is probably why the Wynn corporation, headed then by Steve Wynn himself, had to forfeiture $130 million last September. It wasn’t a fine, but rather a “non-prosecution settlement” with the Department of Justice (some might call that “politically-correct” verbiage for money laundering with criminal ties). While not stated, you can bet the Triads had some involvement.
This book is filled with similar episodes from across the globe on these countless illegal transactions made with little consequence. Maybe that is also why Cabot’s last chapter is titled: “A Skeptic’s Perspective on the Effectiveness of Casino Oversight.”
Wikipedia says “Redux” is a postpositive adjective meaning ‘brought back, restored.’ In that last chapter, Cabot again references the early Las Vegas mob days and how the Triads are “bringing back” that same criminal culture. He notes: “Today’s power players have swapped envelopes stuffed with cash for more subtle weapons: Campaign contributions. Strategic lobbying. Financial backing for the right political party, the right candidate. A mafia lawyer once said of politicians, ‘It doesn’t matter whether it is a banker, a businessman, or a gangster, his pocketbook is always attractive.’”
While somewhat pessimistic, he does offer some encouragement: “As the echoes of scandal fade, hope remains that the lessons of the past will not be cast aside. The industry may yet reclaim its integrity — before the world tires of this grand experiment” (in sanctioned casino gambling).
If you are in the casino business, you need to read this book and get your perceptions updated just like I did.
