Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming August 2015 28 Gambling and the law “[T]oday, as in 1961, Cuba is governed by the Castros and the Communist party. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.” President Barack Obama D iplomatic relations have been restored and the US embassy in Havana and the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., are being reopened. Travel restrictions have been eased, though Americans without relatives in Cuba still have to be part of educational or similar programs to visit the island nation. But President Obama has done as much as he can on his own. It may be difficult for Americans to travel to North Korea or Iran. But Cuba is the only country in the world where American tourists and businesses are barred not by a declaration from the US State Department, but by an act of Congress. So Cuba will remain off- limits until Congress passes another act. Unfortunately for both Americans and Cubans, Congress is unlikely to act until well after the 2016 election. The problem is purely political. The Cuban revolution of January 1959 led to the communist dictatorship of Fidel Castro and the nationalization of all private industry and Casinos Coming to Cuba – Again By Prof. I. Nelson Rose Prof. I. Nelson Rose is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on gambling law and is a consultant and expert witness for governments, the industry and players. His latest books, “Internet Gaming Law” (1st and 2nd editions), “Blackjack and the Law”, “Gaming Law: Cases and Materials” and “Gaming Law in a Nutshell” are available through his website, www.GamblingAndTheLaw.com . property. The wealthy ruling class left with whatever they could carry. Many ended up in the US, particularly Florida. They naturally hated Castro. For five decades, these Cuban refugees determined the direction of American policy. Cuban-Americans still exercise power much larger than their numbers. Florida is a notorious swing state in presidential elections. And voters with ties to Cuba have the money and numbers to swing the state. Or at least they did, when they were all unified in their hatred of Castro. But to the children and grandchildren of those original immigrants to the US the bad old days are sometimes only stories. And other Cubans have come to America, including 125,000 in the Mariel Boat Lift of 1980. Many have family members they left behind. In fact, it is probably the billions of dollars Americans send their relatives in Cuba that kept that country from complete economic collapse. Cuba’s problems are not entirely the result of the US embargo. I was fortunate to be able to travel to Cuba, legally, a couple of years ago. What I saw was not only a land frozen in 1959, but what happens to an economy when it is led by men who are completely nuts. We had a walking tour of Havana, led by an old revolutionary who had become a professor of architecture. He was practically in tears over the state of decay of what were The view from the Hotel Riviera in Havana , originally owned by American mobster and casino operator Meyer Lansky.