Mafia bosses challenge casino and racetrack bans


By David Amoruso, GangstersInc.

The Las Vegas black book has become a thing of gangland lore, a list containing the most notorious organized crime figures who were banned from Las Vegas casinos. Now, police in Australia have compiled their own black book. But several infamous individuals, including the alleged head of the ‘Ndrangheta in Melbourne and a reputed Triad leader, are challenging the bans and want authorities to reveal what intel they have on them to warrant such a ban.

In total, 80 people are in the Crown Casino’s “black book,” including high-ranking underworld figures Mick Gatto, Tony Mokbel and his brother Horty, mob boss Rocco Arico, and former Bandidos motorcycle club boss Toby Mitchell, The Age newspaper reports. All are forbidden from setting foot at a Crown Casino and/or Victorian racetrack.

Despite the ban, several alleged mob bosses show they can still get involved in a high stakes game of cat and mouse versus the police. They are requesting that police share the intelligence used to issue the bans and subsequently have them overturned because, they say, they were denied natural justice.
Chief among this group are alleged ‘Ndrangheta boss Antonio Madafferi, who is banned from both the casinos and the racetrack, and reputed 14K Triad leader and all-round gambling high-roller Wei Seng Phua, who was recently in the Crown Casino in Melbourne attending the Aussie Millions poker tournament, from which he is unofficially banned.

Unofficially, because police have yet to personally serve him his ban, which is difficult considering that the poker star hops around the world in his private jet.

The cases will be held at the Supreme Court, but no dates have been set as of yet.
Until then, as the dealer says at the roulette table, rien ne va plus, no more bets.

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