Gambling: MGM Partner Said to Have Organized Crime Ties
The MGM Mirage is trying to sever its ties with MGM Grand Macau, claiming that the later's co-owner, Patsy Ho, is "financially dependent on her father, casino magnate Stanley Ho." Additionally, they claim the Ho patriarch has ties to organized crime in Macau.
The New Jersey Casino Control Commission released a 74-page report as part of MGM's settlement with the Division of Gaming Enforcement that will result in the company leaving Atlantic City rather than dropping its ties to Macau, the world's largest gambling market. The commission approved the planned sale of MGM Mirage's stake in Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City
That report also alludes to Stanley Ho's alleged criminal connections, though it found no evidence of any wrongdoings on the part of Patsy.
"Numerous governmental and regulatory agencies have referenced Stanley Ho's associations with criminal enterprises, including permitting organized crime to operate and thrive within his casinos," it said.
Janet Wong, a spokeswoman for Ho, said in an e-mail. "His (Stanley Ho's) position on the record is clear that there is absolutely no foundation in any suggestion that he is associated with organized crime or triads," Wong said
The elder Ho, 88, has not yet read the report. He is believed to have undergone brain surgery in 2009 and spent 7 months in a hospital before being discharged last week. The family is yet to confirm the true nature of his ailment, however.
Upon leaving the hospital, Angela Leong, one of the four women Ho calls his ``wives,'' told local media he needed treatment because of a rectal injury he suffered two years ago following a procedure to relieve constipation.
Alejandro Botticelli, Gambling911.com
