Why didn’t he just fly to macau or some closer casino hotspot and count cards and earn his money the old fashioned way?
I recall reading about a card counter, also IIRC head of the Pacific Exchange? He had to wear disguises and even then they would spot him and throw him out.
In Macau, they might cane him?
It’s hard to be a card counter these days. They have increased the number of decks and watch the players carefully.
A while back, I spent some time with a card counter in Monaco. He didn’t do it full time. He was very smart and he could do it easily but did not do it for a living. He didn’t have to.
He played a few hands and, of course, won. After a while he handed me what he had won and said put it on either red or black.
Being timid, I put half of it on red. Yes, red won. Even half of it more than paid for dinner - but I think my friend would have been happier with the entire loss or the entire win.