In the 18th century, a group of criminals from the United Kingdom landed in Botney Bay, Australia, bringing gambling culture from the United Kingdom.
At that time Britain was in the George era, and gambling was one of the most important social activities.
The upper echelons see gambling as a way of showing off their wealth, often at private gatherings in the form of a card game, gambling, and often by sponsoring boxers and participating horses to gambling. And low-income groups often participate in cockfighting, fighting dogs and other bets on gambling and the throwing of dice, coins and other gambling forms.
Since the birth of Australia`s first horse lottery in 1881, the gambling industry has been thriving in Australia and has contributed a considerable amount of GDP. to Australia`s economic.
Australians` gambling addiction is also world-famous.
Indeed, according to the CNN, Australia is the country that has lost the most assets per capita of all developed countries in 2016, according to the CNN.
According to a survey by consultancy H2 Gambling Capital, Australia`s average gambling loss in 2016 was well ahead of that of $990; Singapore, by contrast, lost $650, less than 2/3 of Australia`s; Ireland came in third, at $500.
Take the Sydney-based Fairfield, a typical area where the wind of gambling prevails. Most of the residents here are mainly working class, and the annual loss to gambling is as high as A $8 billion, which is basically equivalent to the GDP. of a county-level city in the east of China. The average local resident loses A $40, 000 a year.
Poker machines everywhere in clubs, often overcrowded / source: Camden-Narellan Advertise
According to the 2017 Australian Household, income and Labor Diversity Survey, the most popular form of gambling for Australians is lottery games (such as Powerball or Oz Lotto), accounting for 30% of the total, and poker machines ranked second.) Eight percent of adults said they had used poker machines in the past month.
Australian Finance and Economics has reported the Australian people`s pursuit of lottery tickets, as well as their obsession with "probability" and "Chinese feng shui" in the process of buying lottery tickets. Click to read: 1 out of 3 people buy lottery tickets! Why do Australians insist on buying lottery tickets?)
But Australian local people buy lottery tickets, playing poker machine is after all just a little play, really playing wind and water, but more of the cost of money is the Australian casino in the strange oriental face.
1 the VIP: of casino, Australia, those Chinese who "spend a lot of money"
In recent years, thousands of Chinese have come to Australia, squandering wealth on the islands of the Southern Hemisphere-luxury shops, luxury casino, boutique resorts … Chinese people can be seen everywhere.
According to the latest 2018 statistics on Australian tourism, the number of Chinese visitors to Australia in the past year has reached 1.4 million, up 13 percent from the previous year, and spending a total of A $10.9 billion. Chinese tourists are also big consumers, spending more than A $8000 per person traveling in Australia, compared with an average of A $5000 for international tourists.
Australia`s government is also aimed at the attractive market cake for Chinese tourists, and in recent years has accelerated the construction of casino.
IBIS World`s senior industry analyst, Lieter (Spencer Little), said in 2015 that Australia had not opened a new casino since it opened the casino (Reef Hotel Casino) Reef Hotel in Keynes in 1996, and that this is a thing of the past.
When Australian casino tycoon James Packer (Pike`s Australian casino empire was in its prime, even in Gillard government`s White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century, You can also find a brilliant example of his name, the Crown casino, as the benchmark for Asia`s rich market development:
"Australian tourism needs to develop a number of cultural-related industrial gains in response to Asia`s growing interest in Australia, including the development of urban luxury tourism projects, such as those of the Crown Group."
James Packer
In fact, most of Crown casino`s VIP clients come from China-a fact that the company has even made no secret of being used to promote a new project in Barangaroo, Sydney.
According to the US < New York Times > report, despite China`s restrictions on gambling, Australian casino operators have long used a variety of novel ways to attract customers, often emphasizing private villas and high-end delicacies in advertisements. Insinuated guest gambling rooms and high-stakes baccarat and roulette.
Like other major casino operators, Crown has opened an office in China`s mainland to assist in marketing, arrange travel and send executives to China to win potential customers, the report said.
Sydney Crown casino Project / Source: Barangaroo.com, expected to be extended to 2021
In an effort to attract a large number of Chinese VIP customers, Crown has also promised to send aircraft by private jet, bragging that it can get visas quickly, meet customers` diverse needs and even provide little-known Chinese-style chefs. In private meetings with clients, the crown offers privileges such as free accommodation and credit lines.
Some casino, in an effort to attract new customers, have created the porn front for "senior companions, models," and "casino senior VIP PR services."
On a Chinese Australian website, you can often see a full range of job announcements, and one after another Chinese female students go into the abyss of money and desire by temptation:
Senior casino VIP female PR recruitment: a top-level platform that accumulates thousands of billionaires` private, powerful and powerful circles, mainly business companions, casino company tours, long and short bags, personal girlfriends, high-end party and many other businesses. Business covers Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau and many other countries and regions.
Hourly salary: 300 Australian dollars-1000 Australian dollars; daily salary: 2000 Australian dollars-20,000 Australian dollars; weekly salary: 10- one hundred thousand Australian dollars not equal. "
So, who are the Chinese people who have become the most expensive VIP? in Australia`s major casino?
"the high-spending customers of casino include mainly senior Chinese officials, state-owned enterprise managers and private businessmen who have transferred a lot of Chinese wealth to Australia," said one gambling industry analyst.
A gluttonous official who bet heavily on the popularity of the power and power of the corrupt officials
As incredible as it sounds, "spending billions of dollars on casino abroad" has been, in fact, a "traditional retention program" that many Chinese officials are looking for to stimulate, and enjoy it.
Since the implementation of China`s government`s aggressive anti-corruption plan, "tigers" and "flies" have fallen. These corrupt officials also often refer to their overseas gambles in their penance.
Ma Xiangdong, former deputy mayor of Shenyang, confessed after the fall of the horse:
"in the process of overseas foreign investment talks, the work is very tight and tired, so I came up with the idea of relaxing and recuperating, and began to open my eyes to casino by the receptionist and subordinate cadres. There, I was totally attracted to and involved in the casino atmosphere and the sweetness of winning money. Started with personal money to play, in March 1998, subordinated cadres from other people borrowed a huge amount of money to gamble, I learned, not only did not resolutely stop, but also many times in casino accept subordinated cadres to some chips to gamble … "
It is reported that Ma Xiangdong had boarded the Macau gambling ship "Princess Orient" 4 times to the high seas gambling, and the face will not change the heart of the heart in 3 days to lose tens of millions of yuan.
Ma Xiangdong, who was executed in December 2001
Chen Haiju, the former deputy general manager of China Eastern Airlines, was also a gambler, even claiming that a bribe of $2.36 million had been "won in Australia by casino."
Because of the need for work, Chen Haiju often goes abroad. His daily casino is no lower-Australia, Macau, Europe and Las Vegas.
Before that, he had to take time to get to Las Vegas when he had an annual aviation conference in Hawaii. There, the bribe Jiang specially arranged the superior suite for him, and even "considerate" arranged two sexual service provider. In the room.
When it comes to the number of casino routes, Chen Haiju says, "at 21:00, baccarat, slot machine, I sometimes buy several hundred dollars to play on my own, and sometimes a few friends take some chips from each other."
At the table, he sometimes spends more than 100, 000 dollars a night. However, Chen Haiju is enjoying the stimulation and pleasure of gambling, anyway, you don`t have to pay for the win or lose.
Because Jiang has VIP card in casino, every time Jiang provides gambling chips for Chen Haiju to enjoy in the VIP room. Whether lost or won, Chen Haiju`s chips will be returned to Jiang, in the whole process Chen Haiju did not touch cash. It was precisely because of his passion for gambling that some of the people who asked for him took advantage of it, arranged the hotel in advance and prepared the gambling money.
Chen Haiju was re-sentenced at second instance, ranging from indefinite to 13 years in prison
When Chen Haiju finally stood on the court for questioning and trial, he spoke of Wang Gu as "unwell" and denied the authenticity of the transcript and video. In a video broadcast by prosecutors in court, Chen Haiju once said that he had relaxed his demands on himself, slowly turned lust into greed, and eventually embarked on the path of crime. "the key is himself, who is not strange, blame himself."
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Zhou Bin received a large amount of bribes, a large part of which was squandered between the casino.
Zhou Bin was a frequent visitor to Crown Perth.
According to the Sydney Morning Frontier, Zhou Bin is not only a frequent visitor to Australia`s crown casino, he also often invites friends to bring Chinese luxury groups to casino. It is even rumored that before each visit, casino`s boss will be there in advance, accompanying and providing entertainment throughout the trip.
And how do these corrupt officials and dignitaries who gamble abroad take large sums of stolen money out of the country?
In an interview with the legal Evening News, a public security officer who has been engaged in the investigation of related crimes for a long time mentioned:
China has set a maximum amount for citizen to carry money out of the country, and the corrupt officials have been able to carry large amounts of public money out of the country smoothly and "gamble", mostly because they transferred huge amounts of stolen money to bank accounts abroad before leaving the country. And when leaving the country, some overseas gambling groups will send special personnel to take care of the work.
3) the tycoons of "Ming Xiaotou Road, Shadao Chen Cang"
In addition to corrupt officials, tycoons and entrepreneurs from China also held up most of Australia`s casino.
Australian casino tycoon Pike, who is good at drilling, is also very good at using psychological strategies to attract wealthy VIP clients from China.
Bond University professor Sudil Kyle, who advises Crown, said high-spending Chinese customers were looking forward to meeting senior executives, not just ordinary Chinese representatives. "they want to meet people with important titles," he said. "it`s more influential and they`ll feel proud."
Pike is reported to have spent A $8.1 million to invite Tiger Woods to its private Burswood Golf course in Perth casino, Western Australia, and to play for 40 VIP tycoons.
The vast majority of the 40 tycoons are from China`s mainland, and in addition to VIP regular guests at Pike`s casino in Australia, they will have to pay an additional 1.5 million Australian dollars for admission.
In October 2013, Pike announced a sponsorship renewal for Chinese tennis champion Li Na. And the expensive grant has clearly been hugely publicized-a few months later, Li Na won the Australian Open.
James Packer and ex-fiancee, famous singer Mariah Carey
In fact, Pike`s "celebrity effect" has played a significant role in China`s rich world, and these attracted VIP clients are likely to have "hidden secrets" behind the craziness of gold-scattering at the gaming tables.
Many wealthy gamblers from China`s mainland managed to avoid the strict regulation of China`s government capital and borrowed large sums of cash from underground banks to bet or fire local real estate, through local intermediaries in China or abroad. Then transfer the money in China to the offshore underground bank account in China, successfully complete the transfer of property. Click to read more: quick! China`s government blocks underground banks, the Australian housing market hears trembling)
According to The Age, a wealthy Chinese wife who has thrown more than A $850 million in Australian crown casino gambling money has been ordered to enter her California mansion on suspicion of involvement in cross-border money-laundering offences between China and Australia.
According to investigations by the IRS and the Australian Federal Police, the "Chinese adventurer", Dan Bai Shun Jin, is suspected of involvement in large-scale illegal money laundering in Australia, the United States, Macau and Singapore.
His wife, Ma Hongjie, appealed to the Victorian Supreme Court for the lifting of a restraining order against his multimillion-dollar real estate in California. But the local court dismissed her request, considering that the $17 million purchase of the mansion could also have come from money laundering.
Mr. Jin claims his basic salary in China is $ three hundred thousand, along with other bonuses and stocks. But the ruling said his wife did not provide any documents to support this in the documents submitted.
"Ma Hongjie and the witness evidence she provided support the fact that" Kim is a big gambler, "but there is no evidence to explain how he can finance these huge, high-risk gambling," said judge John Dixon (John Dixon).
In response, Crown casino speaker gave an official response, saying "will not comment on any individual circumstances, especially in the case of law litigation."
4. Under the impact of China`s anti-corruption, Australia`s casino is "ill-fated".
In 1973, Australia`s first legally integrated, large-scale casino opened in Hobart, the capital of the outlying island of Tasmania, marking the beginning of Australia`s licensed casino industry.
Since then, large-scale casino have opened in Sydney, Melbourne and other places, and even become landmarks of these big cities. To date, a total of 13 casino are located in various parts of Australia.
Crown and The Star (accounted for almost the vast majority of the Australian industry, accounting for 48.2% and 40.1% of the total market, respectively.
Melbourne Crown casino Night View
Star Harbor in Vivid Sydney
However, with China`s government anti-corruption "tiger fighting operation" in recent years, "fox hunting" has emerged in endlessly, foreign exchange control policies have become more stringent, and efforts to combat cross-border money-laundering have been increasing. Almost all of China`s most popular overseas casino have more or less suffered the fate of "the fire at the gate, and the fate of the pond fish."
The fire was first set on fire from Macao.
In 2014, Macau, China, casino received more than 28 million customers, a daily average of five hundred thousand accommodation customers, a year of business flow is exactly three times as many as Las Vegas.
However, under the influence of China`s government anti-corruption and anti-money laundering operations, Macau casino is also the first to bear the brunt, and Las Vegas and Australia`s major casino was also affected.
Take Crown and Star Port City as an example, according to the IBIS World industry report, we can clearly see that around 2015 is a node where the turnover of both sides is obviously buffered. The crown even saw a dramatic negative growth in 2016-17: 12.7 percent less than in the previous year.
Interestingly, this period of time coincides with the time when China`s government began to hit tigers, foxes, and flies while the iron was hot.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, since October 2014, the central discipline Inspection Commission of China has continued to carry out special operations and, in close collaboration with relevant departments, has advised and repatriated from 42 countries and regions, and extradited 222 suspects, including Yang Xiuzhu and Li Huapo, suspected of fugitive duties. Wang Guoqiang, Huang Yurong and other 35 "100 Hongtong personnel."
In the communiqu é of the third Plenary session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Supreme people`s Procuratorate in March 2018, Cao Jianming, Procurator-General of the Supreme people`s Procuratorate, said, "the number of persons who have filed cases and investigated duty crimes is 16.4 percent higher than in the previous five years. Among them, 15234 state functionaries at the county level and 2405 at the department and bureau levels are suspected of duty crimes. "
Cao Jianming, President of the Supreme people`s Procuratorate of China
In fact, after this blaze to Australia`s casino, it is more than just a loss of performance.
In October 2016, China`s authorities had 18 crown employees, three of whom were Australian citizen, on suspicion of "gambling crimes" detain, mainly responsible for attracting wealthy Chinese customers.
"in the past, foreigners were not caught in this crackdown," says Xu Yaotong, a professor at Chinese Academy of Governance. "China treats its own citizen equally with foreign citizen. If foreigners break the law in China, We can`t say we don`t care or don`t deal with it. "
And now the anti-corruption campaign has settled down and the flames are dying, but Australia`s major casino has been hit hard and is still on the verge of death.
Even casino tycoon Pike was disheartened by his resignation in July from his board of directors at 22 Australian companies and no more board seats in Australia. It also marks his almost complete withdrawal from the public eye.
"in recent days, Crown and Star Port City have again said that after the decrease in the number of gamblers in China, casino`s income from VIP has become increasingly shaky and turnover is also very unstable."
John Alexander, executive chairman of Crown Holiday Inn, told the Australian Financial Review that the weakness in China`s economic and the decline in luxury-to-compare spending have already pushed down VIP customers` spending in Melbourne and Perth casino.
"in the six months ended Dec. 31, VIP turnover at Crown Australia fell 12.2 percent to A $19.9 billion. Those who spend the most money in Crown Melbourne are down 11.2 percent from the same period, while those in Crown Perth are down 18.5 percent.
However, due to the small number of VIP frequent visitors to Australia, Crown`s turnover is also very unstable.
Similar to the crown`s story, Xinggang`s earnings have been hit hard by the weakness of China`s tourism industry. International VIP revenues fell 33 percent from the previous period to A $ two hundred and seventy nine million nine hundred and ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine, while Sydney`s flagship casino`s turnover fell 49 percent. Its VIP revenue accounts for about 22% of the group`s total revenue.
The Australian dollar / yuan exchange rate last month
Losing the dependence of the "Chinese dignitaries" and leading the rising tide of fixed fees and labour costs, Australia`s major casino has begun to use the recent Australian dollar`s low exchange rate to try to retain Chinese customers, while also having to find another way out for itself. We are looking to open up Australia`s home-grown VIP market.
