Pali shootings part of gaming culture

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

The fatal shootings at the Pali Municipal Golf Course that resulted from a turf war between groups providing security for illegal gambling houses come at a time when authorities acknowledge that enforcement of illicit gaming laws is less of a priority than issues that loom larger — like the state's ice epidemic.

Illegal casinos are often small rooms with two or three game tables, and now there are about six major gambling houses on O'ahu, according to police.

The shooting at the Pali golf course Jan. 7 that authorities say involved men who provided security for O'ahu's illegal gambling houses has drawn new attention to the seldom-seen world of gambling.

Inside the houses, the most popular games are baccarat, blackjack, and a version of stud poker called pepito. Large sums of money, often in the tens of thousands of dollars, are won and lost daily.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation actively monitors organized crime operations that see gambling as a significant source of revenue.

"We acknowledge that there are local organized-crime groups, people that group together to conduct drug trafficking, gambling," said Charles Goodwin, special agent in charge of the FBI in Hawai'i. "It depends a lot on the circumstance. These days it is not one of our priorities."

'Cat and mouse'

Goodwin said the type of organized crime groups that dabble in gambling operations usually run them in connection with prostitution and drug trafficking rings.

Capt. Kevin Lima, head of HPD's Narcotics/Vice Division, which houses the department's gambling detail, said closing the casinos is difficult. Search warrants allow his officers one raid a night, and many times the casinos either change location, or are up and running hours after the police leave, he said.

"It's a game of cat and mouse," Lima said. "They (the games) move around, and they don't bring attention to themselves."

Police must gather intelligence about the operations by infiltrating them through undercover work, a time-consuming practice.

Gambling operations "exist because people will honor their word and pay, and then there are the people that have to protect the interest of these houses," Lima said. "People that don't pay? They have their means of addressing that, and they make it well known that they encourage people to pay their debts. And to us that is a bad thing."

According to police, security forces employed by the casinos are asked to watch the door and screen possible players, while some walk the room, keeping an eye on the tables. During the week, there are two or three security guards at a gaming house, but on Friday and Saturday nights, three or four guards are working the house.

The guards earn between $80 and $100 a shift, police said.

The biggest problem with illegal gambling is rooted in the collection of money, the loss of money and the protection of the operations. These aspects can turn violent, and sometimes, as in the Pali Golf Course shooting, they can spill into the public arena.

At the golf course Jan. 7, Lepo Utu Taliese, 44, was shot several times in the head and stomach and later died at The Queen's Medical Center. Romilius Corpuz, 40, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at Castle Medical Center.

Tinoimalu Sao, 42, was shot in the head and has been reported by police to be in critical condition at Queen's since the shooting. Ethan Motta, 34, and Rodney Joseph, 35, were arrested the day of the shooting, and Kevin "Pancho" Gonsalves, 33, was arrested Tuesday .

Police said the Pali shooting has connections to a July 30 brawl at a gaming house on Young Street between two groups that provide security for illegal game rooms, although it was not in retaliation for the earlier incident. Sao, the lone survivor of the Pali shootings, was beaten at the Young Street gaming house and testified in court that he sometimes works as a security guard at illegal gambling houses.

Before the Young Street incident, police said a fight occurred between two security factions at a popular illegal game in a Pearl City office building.

"The Pali shooting is a terrible example of how gambling can go too far," Lima said. "But the current epidemic in regards to ice is drawing a lot of attention away from the issues of gambling, and rightly so."

He said the violence associated with gambling is not as severe as the violence connected to ice.

Gambling detail

HPD's gambling detail has about 10 officers working cases for the entire island. In 2003, the detail made 58 arrests, executed 40 search warrants, and seized $22,000 in cash.

The unit not only has to deal with illegal casinos, but also other forms of gambling. Hawai'i and Utah are the only states that prohibit gambling, such as lottery and casino games, although social gambling is permitted here. Nonetheless, illegal gambling in Hawai'i is a familiar pastime, deeply rooted in the culture of the islands.

During the plantation days, the workers, the majority of whom were male bachelors, gambled heavily in the dormitories on payday. Many rode the train into Chinatown where illegal gambling dens actively catered to them.

While gambling is clearly a problem, more resources go to battle more serious crimes, such as drugs.

"There are all kind of vices that exist, they exist in every major city in the nation, ours more so," Lima said. "Gambling is very rooted in culture, and in many cultures gambling is a way of life. People bring that culture with them, and it is hard to tell people that there are negative effects."

The most common form of gambling found in Hawai'i is 6-5 sports betting, mainly during football season. While betting on basketball and baseball does happen, bookies can take as much as $75,000 worth of wagers in a single football weekend.

In 6-5 gambling, if someone puts $5 on a game, and loses, they pay the house $6, but if they win, the house pays $5. Most houses set the minimum bet on a game at $25, meaning $25 if you win, $30 if you lose.

Runners distribute parlay cards or grid-like sheets listing each game with a point spread to bettors, usually friends or co-workers who enjoy playing. Bettors place their bets through the runner, who relays them to the house and the game is on.

Cracking major rings

Federal authorities, however, have cracked several major 6-5 gambling rings in recent years.

Francis "Moody" Kahoohalahala, 55, the suspected ringleader of a sports bookmaking operation, pleaded guilty in July 2000 in U.S. District Court to conspiring to conduct an illegal gambling business and failure to pay the wagering occupational tax.

Kahoohalahala, a state repairs and maintenance assistant, was indicted with six others in connection with illegal betting from a Maui Department of Accounting and General Services office. They were accused of accepting wagers on college and professional football games during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. Records seized indicate 332 wagers totaled more than $65,000 during one two-day period.

Honolulu comedian Mel Cabang pleaded guilty and was sentenced in September 1998 to 51 months in federal prison in Nevada for running a sports betting operation from his Hawai'i Kai home. Federal prosecutors said Cabang ran one of the largest betting operations in the state from 1991 to 1995, and had 23 runners to collect wagers in a bookmaking operation with daily profits of $2,000 during college football and basketball seasons.

But despite those efforts, the widespread and socially accepted nature of 6-5 gambling makes it difficult to police, Lima said. He said runners who are typically arrested can only be charged with a misdemeanor.

Gambling bills rejected

Some argue that legalizing gambling would solve many of the problems.

Hawai'i legislators have rejected more than 200 gambling bills in the past two decades, yet proposals to legalize it come up in nearly every session.

The push for legalization comes from a number of influential groups, including labor unions and tourism executives. Many who support legalization see it as an instant boost for Hawai'i's economy.

But legislative leaders said while legislation may be introduced this session, they don't think the likelihood of passage this session is high.

House Speaker Calvin Say said gambling legislation from last session will carry over and new legislation is likely to be introduced.

Senate President Robert Bunda said gambling lobbyists have inquired about the issue's viability in this year's session. "These gambling bills are not really on the radar screen," Bunda said. "It is an issue that was never really discussed."

Police said the recent violence will force further attention toward gambling.

"We don't condone legal or illegal gambling," Lima said. "We keep a handle on it. We conduct investigations, we infiltrate organizations, and we have ongoing investigations. Some are fruitful, some prove not to be."

Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.