Not the first time US union boss has targeted Macau casinos

A short-lived US-based website that pledged to lift the lid on organised crime in Macau's casinos was the brainchild of the same Washington trade union boss who yesterday mounted a new attack on regulation and compliance in the world's richest gaming destination.

Fiedler - a prominent figure in US Democratic Party politics and a one-time member of an influential US-China economic and security commission - closed the site amid allegations of political dirty tricks and legal threats from top gaming industry figures.

The controversial site was up against some powerful forces in the former Portuguese enclave and from day-one it received a hostile reception from official regulators, who accused it of having "questionable motives".

At the time, the Post was told that Casinoleaks received at least one "crude" legal threat from a prominent Hong Kong and Macau business figure over the content of the site. Fiedler would say only that a "lack of impact" led to its closure.

Gaming insiders suggested because the union sides with the US Democratic Party, its intent was to dig dirt on Sheldon Adelson's Sands China operation.