{"id":34236,"date":"2016-03-07T17:08:22","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T01:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=34236"},"modified":"2016-03-07T17:08:22","modified_gmt":"2016-03-08T01:08:22","slug":"triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"Triads \u201cDominate\u201d Macau Junkets, Says Academic Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Triad
Wan Kuok-koi, aka “Broken Tooth,” the notorious former leader of the 14K Triads, who is believed to have had dealings with the junket industry. (Image: mafiatoday.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hong Kong\u2019s triads have long been known to enjoy ties with Macau\u2019s VIP industry, although the exact extent of their influence on the junkets has been a point of debate.
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

However, a new criminology study, whose researchers spent three years interviewing former triad members, police officers, Chinese<\/a> officials and VIP room managers, has concluded that the influence of the criminal gangs is pervasive.<\/p>\n

In fact, sociology Professor T. Wing Lo and research fellow Sharon Ingrid Kwok of Hong Kong\u2019s City University, conclude the junket industry is inextricably intertwined with organized crime to the extent that it is \u201cdominated\u201d by the triads.<\/p>\n

This is an industry that during the height of Macau\u2019s economic boom years was responsible for some 60 percent of the enclave\u2019s revenues, indicating that organized crime is a cornerstone of the gambling hub\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

According to a member of the notorious 14K triads, interviewed for the study, most VIP-room contractors \u201care triads or businessmen with a triad background.\u201d<\/p>\n

Symbiotic Relationship<\/b><\/h2>\n

But it is, of course, a two-way street; the report states that Macau\u2019s VIP rooms are \u201cthe main drivers of economic profits for the triads.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while the junket operations may currently be on the back foot, due to the anti-corruption crackdown instigated by Beijing, the triads have adapted their methods, becoming slicker and more subtle, more \u201c\u201cbank-like\u201d and \u201ccivilized,\u201d in their business practices, according to researchers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have readjusted their traditional intrusive role and reinvented harmonious business strategies to suit the market reality,\u201d states the report. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because of financial restrictions on moving money from the mainland to Macau<\/a>, junket operators lend VIPs money and collect the debts when they return to China. Gambling debts are not enforceable on the mainland, which means that the added muscle triads provide ensures that operations run smoothly.<\/p>\n

Operators and Regulator Denials<\/b><\/h2>\n

The report notes, though, that in recent years triads have been forced to operate increasingly in China, as they build ties with corrupt Chinese officials and mainland criminal syndicates, developing \u201cflexible, social and entrepreneurial networks\u201d to attract VIPs.<\/p>\n

The reliance on Chinese criminal gangs, however, also suggests the gangs have ceded a modicum of control of their operations.<\/p>\n

Interviews with former triads suggest that despite their protestations of innocence casino operators have always been fully aware of the level of infiltration by criminal gangs into their VIP networks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe casino management would select the most powerful triads, based on a couple of factors including money, triad, reputation and ability to mobilize manpower,\u201d said one.<\/p>\n

Macau\u2019s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has denied it is aware of any triad influence in the enclaves VIP rooms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hong Kong\u2019s triads have long been known to enjoy ties with Macau\u2019s VIP industry, although the exact extent of their influence on the junkets has been a point of debate. However, a new criminology study, whose researchers spent three years interviewing former triad members, police officers, Chinese officials and VIP room managers, has concluded that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":34237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,13],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTriads \u201cDominate\u201d Macau Junkets, Says Academic Paper<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Triads influence over VIP junkets is everywhere says, academic study, yet operators and the regulator continue to deny it. \u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Triads \u201cDominate\u201d Macau Junkets, Says Academic Paper\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Triads influence over VIP junkets is everywhere says, academic study, yet operators and the regulator continue to deny it. \u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-08T01:08:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Broken-Tooth-Wan-Kuok-koi.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"486\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"302\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/\",\"name\":\"Triads \u201cDominate\u201d Macau Junkets, Says Academic Paper\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Broken-Tooth-Wan-Kuok-koi.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-08T01:08:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-03-08T01:08:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Triads influence over VIP junkets is everywhere says, academic study, yet operators and the regulator continue to deny it. \u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/triads-dominate-macau-junkets-says-academic-paper\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Broken-Tooth-Wan-Kuok-koi.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Broken-Tooth-Wan-Kuok-koi.jpg\",\"width\":486,\"height\":302,\"caption\":\"Wan Kuok-koi, aka \\\"Broken Tooth,\\\" the notorious former leader of the 14K Triads, who is believed to have had dealings with the junket industry. 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