Inside Asian Gaming

August 2015 inside asian gaming 29 Gambling and the law once magnificent buildings. The problem, he explained, was that after the Revolution, Castro declared that everyone now owned the apartment they lived in. Only nobody owned the building, not even the government. Since the average income is $30 a month, tenants/ owners could not afford to fix the roof when the buildings began to deteriorate. Every day in Cuba buildings simply collapse due to lack of upkeep. And the new owners could not even sell their apartments. It is against the law to buy or sell real estate. So people actually get married and then divorced so that they can legally transfer property. Cuba is a massive island, by far the largest in the Western Hemisphere south of Canada. At 760 miles in length, it is longer than Florida. It is also the most populous, with 11 million people. Historically, it has always been of great strategic importance. It is not a coincidence that Columbus spent so much time sailing around Cuba during his voyages of discovery to the New World. The prevailing currents and tradewinds forced most shipping within range of the island. After the Revolution, Castro declared that everyone now owned the apartment they lived in. Only nobody owned the building, not even the government. Since the average income is $30 a month, tenants/owners could not afford to fix the roof when the buildings began to deteriorate. Cuba is locked into 1959. The US embargo, and the failures of communism, have prevented new developments. Even the cars and buildings are the same. And this may provide the solution to Cuba’s problems. Cuba has always been tied politically and economically with the United States. At its closest point, Cuba is only 90 miles from America. Miami is as close to Havana as it is to Orlando. Prior to the development of air travel, Cuba’s ties were mostly with the Southern states. The island’s economy boomed during the 18th and 19th century, built on sugar produced by slave labor. So, it was naturally drawn to the Confederacy. It is interesting to think how the US Civil War would have turned out if plans to buy Cuba from Spain and make it a state in the 1840s had been successful. But times are about to change. First of all: Fidel Castro is gone. He may not be dead. I was told by both American and Cuban experts that he is beyond retired. His image may be everywhere, but he no longer has a living influence. Fidel has become to Cuba what Mao is to China. His younger brother, Raul, is still alive, but is 83 years old. He has called for term limits, including his own. He will not run for reelection as President in 2018.