【新唐人2012年9月24日訊】2012年的中國春節，位於美國拉斯維加斯的賭場公司「永利渡假(Wynn Resorts Ltd.)」，僅一個晚上就從賭桌上狂攬了1,600萬美元收入，這是這家公司歷史上賭桌盈利最多的一個晚上。隨著美國賭場不斷擴大「中國業務」，美國財政部下屬執法部門目前關注的是，是否有部分「博彩仲介」正通過遮掩資金來源，從而讓拉斯維加斯成為一個新的「洗錢中轉站」。
據美國《華爾街日報》報導，美國財政部金融犯罪執行網路(Financial Crimes Enforcement Network)，上個月對賭場發出警告，建議它們監督「博彩仲介」的運營和客戶，如發現可疑行為，應匯報一切可用信息。美國執法部門說，他們對於那些「將仲介存款跨境轉移給客戶的賭場」表示關注。他們說，由於缺少像銀行那樣的仔細審核，這些資金流動有很高的「洗錢」風險。
根據規定，中國公民每年可自由攜帶出境的資金最多為5萬美元，一些超級賭客便依賴外國旅行機構，為他們提供可獲得巨額資金的機會，這些旅行機構被稱為「博彩仲介」。美國駐中國賭城——澳門的執法人員和外交人員長期以來一直認為，這裡的博彩業存在洗錢和組織犯罪的嫌疑。
北京自由作家殷德義表示，「賭場洗錢」是中共地下錢莊經常使用的一種手段。
北京自由作家殷德義：「我覺得是，作為一種常識，如果資金來歷不明的話，我想最好的辦法就是用賭場，特別是地下賭場這種方式去洗錢。國內有很多專門搞洗錢的仲介。你像薄熙來這次和谷開來這60億，他愁的不就是這個嗎？就是把這個錢怎麼轉移出去？」
上世紀80年代以來，一直紮根澳門賭場的「博彩仲介」，對很多中國有錢人來說是不可或缺的，因為中國對居民每年可攜帶出境的現鈔有嚴格的限制。
殷德義：「你看看中國官員，澳門賭場這種地方基本上就成為他們的橋頭堡，轉移資金的。很多人說那些官員一夜之間揮霍幾百萬，幾千萬，其實他們除了本人，他還有其他人幫他往外輸血，通過這種方式。」
為幫助富人，「博彩仲介」向玩家提供高信用額度，然後在賭博損失越來越大的時候收債。一些「博彩仲介」讓多金賭客在出國前打個欠條就可以。監管機構說，究竟有多少「博彩仲介」繞開了中國的監管，卻是一筆糊塗賬。內華達州博彩業管理委員會(Nevada Gaming Control Board)即將卸任的主席利帕雷利(Mark Lipparelli)說，至今還沒有誰能告訴我，錢是怎麼從中國內地進入澳門的，還沒有誰給我一個清楚的解釋。
「澳門理工學院(Macau Polytechnic Institute) 」在2010年的一項研究發現，在澳門的貴賓賭客中，中國政府官員、國企管理者、私企老闆等為澳門博彩業貢獻了超過三分之二的收入。
山東獨立作家鞏磊：「一般的民營企業家，或者靠拚搏，自己掙的合法收入，他是不會去賭博的。真正賭博實際上是這些大量的轉移國有資產，搜刮老百姓錢財，貪污腐敗的錢，他需要洗白它，轉入到他的海外賬戶。他才有可能，都是些非法收入佔絕大多數。」
近年來，幾家位於拉斯維加斯經營賭場的公司—-「美高梅」、「永利」和「金沙」，相繼在澳門開設賭場。澳門已經一躍進入全球最大博彩業中心的行列，去年的博彩業收入達到可觀的340億美元，是拉斯維加斯地區博彩業收入的五倍多。不過，過去五年，到拉斯維加斯的中國內地和香港的遊客，數量也增長了近80%，去年達到18.8萬人。
採訪編輯/秦雪 後製/葛雷
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials squander so much
money in casinos; U.S. government to investigate possible laundering activities
During Chinese New Year 2012, Las Vegas-based casino
developer and operator, Wynn Resorts Ltd.
earned an overnight income of 16 million USD
on its gambling tables.
This set the company’s record of overnight income
from casino business.
As U.S. casinos are continuously visited by more
“Chinese customers”,
U.S. Treasury Department’s law-enforcing department
is currently investigating whether some “gambling agents” have concealed their fund resources.
If this is true, such an act will make Las Vegas
a new transit point for money laundering.
According to a Wall Street Journal’s report,
U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes
Enforcement Network issued a warning last month,
suggesting the casinos monitor “gambling agents”
on their operations and customers.
The casinos are encouraged to report all available
information if anything suspicious is found.
The law-enforcing agency said they had especial concern
with casinos making cross-border money transfer from agents to customers.
Unlike the careful verification process performed in banks,
casino transfers are not regulated in the same way and are
highly likely to serve as “money laundering”.
As regulated by the law, each Chinese citizen can only
transfer up to 50,000 dollars abroad each year.
Some super gamblers thus seek help from international
travel agents who can provide them a huge amount of money for gambling abroad.
Those travel agents are usually called “gaming agents”.
Some time ago, the U.S. law enforcement officers and
diplomatic representatives in Macau suspected that
the casino business in Macau serves money laundering
purposes and organized crimes.
Beijing freelancer Yin Deyi said that, “laundering
through casinos” is a common trick played by CCP’s underground banks.
He said: “To my knowledge, the best way to handle funds
of unknown origin is to make use of casinos, especially the underground casinos to launder.
There are lots of laundering agents in China.
As an example, Bo Xilai and his wife worried a lot
about how to handle their 6 billion dollars.
The problem is how to transfer that money abroad?”
Since the 1980’s, the Macau-based “gambling agents” have
played an indispensable role in the lives of rich Chinese.
This is because there is a strict limit of the cash amount
permitted to be brought abroad by Chinese residents.
(Yin Deyi):”As you can see, the Macau casinos have
become the bridge of money transfer for CCP officials.
Many of us know that those officials can spend millions
or even more overnight.
In fact, besides that they also “transfuse their blood”
abroad through casinos.”
To serve the rich, “gambling agents” first provide
a very high credit to the gamer and then collect the debt when the gamer has lost a lot in the casino.
To very wealthy gamblers, some agents even provide
the service only with an IOU before they go abroad.
The regulatory agency acknowledged that nobody knows
exactly how many agents have escaped CCP monitoring.
Head of Nevada Gaming Control Board
Mark Lipparelli said
until now no one has provided him a clear explanation on
how the money flows into Macau from China mainland.
According to a 2010 research project by Macau Polytechnic
Institute among the VIP customers of Macau casinos,
more than two thirds of the whole industry’s revenue
came from CCP officials, state-owned and private company managers.
(Gong Lei, Shandong independent writer): “For ordinary
private entrepreneurs who only earn legal income by being hardworking, they won’t squander their money in casinos.
The real purpose of super gamblers is to transfer state-owned
assets or launder the money seized from civilians or by fraud.
Most of the money is from illegal income.”
In recently years, several Las Vegas-based companies
such as MGM, Wynn and LVS opened casinos in Macau one after another.
Macau has become one of the largest gaming centers
in the world.
The 2011 total revenue of Macau’s casino industry reached
34 billion dollars, which is five times that of Las Vegas region.
At the same time, the number of Chinese and Hong Kong
visitors to Las Vegas also surged to 188,000 in 2011, 80% higher than five years ago.
