Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | January 2013 10 A s Macau’s gray dawn gave way to sunrise at 6:50 a.m. on Saturday, 1st December, former local 14K triad boss “Broken Tooth” Wan Kuok Koi strolled out of the city’s Coloane Prison after serving a sentence of nearly 15 years for a string of gangland crimes. More than 50 journalists had gathered outside the gates of the prison since midnight hoping to catch a glimpse of the now 57-year-old Mr Wan on his release. He headed quickly to the white Lexus and two stern-faced minders that awaited him. As the car drove away, one reporter managed to ask him whether his release would affect Macau’s law and order, and he replied from the passenger seat: “It definitely won’t happen. Nobody is causing trouble so why would there be any trouble?” Mr Wan clearly continues to wield influence, and according to the South China Morning Post , his “gangland brothers had reportedly prepared a 100-table feast” on the night of his release to celebrate his freedom. Still, he made sure to first make a brief public appearance to dismiss concerns he would return to his old ways. Saying he was no longer young, he stressed: “I don’t want to affect the stability of Macau. There’s absolutely no way I want to do that. I want to Going Legit Last month’s release from prison of the notorious “Broken Tooth” won’t spark a return to the bad old days of triad turf wars. There’s too much at stake in the new Macau While Mr Wan was able to run rings around Macau’s colonial administration for years, he is no match for the Chinese government, which would have no qualms about throwing him back behind bars if there was any public hint of him disturbing the peace.