Notorious gangster Wan Kuok-Koi, otherwise known as “Broken Tooth” has resurfaced in the Macau junket world recently, having first become a part of it’s history 15 years ago. Through the 1990’s, Broken Tooth Koi earned his reputation first as an enforcer of the infamous 14K triad’s syndicate. He clearly excelled in his work, as he rose through the ranks to become head of Macau operations for the Triad. After commissioning a film to tell his life story, Wan was in fact arrested while watching it. The charges were: operating as a loan shark, money laundering, and being involved in gang activities. He was sentenced to 14 years.
Read his story: Broken Teeth Fixed: Macau’s New Façade
Koi release in 2012
With his release in 2012, it seems Koi has changed to some degree, with repaired teeth and a different attitude towards the new world of Macau. He set up home in Hong Kong after his released, the home of the 14K Triads, and after taking stock of the changed world around him, began to see junket operations as the way forward. Recent reports suggest that he has opened up a private room in L’Arc Macau casino, using his connections to open the Guoying VIP club.
Wan Kuok-Koi, otherwise known as “Broken Tooth”
Internal theft scandal involving Koi’s Vip Room
Unusually, there has been a recent large scale theft involving HK100 million (USD$12.9 million,) which apparently vanished, from a VIP room in L’Arc Casino. The exact VIP room in question has not been name though. In a further twist, a second much smaller theft recently occurred at L’Arc Macau casino according to Hong Kong media outlet Economic Journal, who broke the news. Just HK1 million disappeared this time around, but it was reported to have happened in the VIP room owned by Koi. There is nothing that directly implicates Koi, only that he owned one of the VIP rooms, and these incidents may be unrelated.
One thing is for certain though – Macau may have changed in recent times, but the people pulling the strings behind the scenes, have not.
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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