Akio Kasiwagi’s murder was like something out of a crime novel. He was found stabbed 150 times in his home near Mount Fuji. A former millionaire, he had made and lost his fortune in real estate and casinos. His life was marked by a fierce determination, earning him the nickname “the warrior.” But his most notable rivalry was with Donald Trump, who had tried to lure him to his casinos. Their relationship ended badly, and Kashiwagi’s murder remains unsolved.
Who was the ‘whale’ and how did Trump get involved?
To understand why Trump wanted Kashiwagi so badly, you need to know about the ‘whale’—a term for the biggest gamblers. Kasiwagi was one of the largest, known as ‘blue’, and was among the top five gamblers worldwide. He loved playing Baccarat, betting up to $250,000 per hand. And he could play 14 hours straight, wagering over $10 million in a single session. He would either lose everything or double his money.
Trump found out about Kashiwagi in 1990 through James Goldsmith, who told him about Kashiwagi’s massive wins and losses at the Aspinall Room Casino Australia. Trump saw an opportunity to lure Kasiwagi to his casinos and make a profit from his huge bets. Akio Kashiwagi’s winning streak was the stuff of the legend. Flown to Australia, he raked in a staggering $6.5 million.
Just two weeks later, he returned and repeated the feat, claiming another $4 million. But the club’s owner, goldsmith John Aspinall, breathed a sigh of relief when Kashiwagi brought his friend Hideaki Watase, who lost $4 million. Eager to keep the hot streak going, they rolled out the red carpet for Kashiwagi’s third visit, hoping to keep the high roller’s luck on their side.
That’s where Trump joined the game and won $17 million, almost bankrupting the casino. But Kashiwagi wasn’t unbeatable; he had lost $6 million at another casino before. Trump wanted to impress Kashiwagi and make his casino seem like the best and wanted Kashiwagi to play at his casino because it would make his business look good. To convince Kashiwagi to play at his casino, Trump gave Kashiwagi many gifts, including a valuable jade statue, a luxurious hotel room, and a $6 million loan to match Kashiwagi’s own money.
When Kashiwagi arrived at the Atlantic City on Trump’s private plane, he had four bodyguards with him to keep his face hidden from cameras. Unlike Trump, who loves attention, Kashiwagi was a private person. Trump welcomed Kasiwagi with a signed copy of his book. So that Kashiwagi will keep on playing at his casino.
The ‘whale’ that got away
Two days after arriving, Kasiwagi started playing Baccarat and quickly won 41 million. Trump was worried, thinking, “What am I doing? I am losing a lot of money, and this guy could win $40 or $50 million in just a few days.” Trump wrote about this in his book The Art of Comeback. He was getting anxious, like Captain Ahab chasing a whale, but in this case, the whale was kashiwagi and the sea was the casino.
By night, Trump had lost $4 million. He spent the day watching Kasiwagi Bet $250,000 per hand, at an incredible rate of over one hand per minute. Trump said it was like watching a gambling genius play against him. Trump tried to downplay the loss, calling Kasiwagi the “greatest gambler ever,” but after just two days, Kashiwagi left Atlantic City, reportedly annoyed by the crowds and media attention. He took with him between $6.2 million and $12 million of Trump’s money. Trump was angry, expecting Kashiwagi to stay and gamble for several more days.
The rematch
Despite losing millions, Trump invited Kashiwagi back for another round. His advisors thought this was a bad idea, but Trump hired a math expert named Jessica Marcus. Marcum was a genius with numbers and had invented a way to beat casinos by counting cards.
Marcum told Trump that the longer Kashiwagi played, the more likely he was to lose. He calculated that if Kasiwagi played for 75 hours, his chances of winning would drop to just 15%. Trump hoped to use this to his advantage and get his money back. The casino always wins in the end. That’s how the odd works.
Three months after his big win, Kashiwagi came back to the Trump Plaza to play Baccarat again. He and Trump agreed to a $12 million deal: Kashiwagi would play until he either doubled his money or lost all of it. But after seven days, Trump stopped the game. Kashiwagi had played over 5,000 hands and was down $10 million. He was angry, feeling Trump had broken their deal by ending the game early. Kashiwagi was so upset that he threatened to burn the signed copy of Trump’s book that he had given him.
Akio Kashiwagi’s mysterious death
Kashiwagi had one last trick up his sleeve. He had been playing with borrowed money and wrote a check that either bounced or was canceled. Trump‘s lawyers threatened to sue, but Kashiwagi was murdered in 1992 before anything could happen.
Trump’s three Atlantic City casinos went bankrupt the same year. Kashiwagi had paid Trump $6 million of the $10 million he owed, but Trump was still short on $4 million. Despite this, Trump claimed it was a win, saying Kashiwagi was a great player who helped him make money during tough times.
In the end, Kashiwagi made a mistake: he kept trying to win back his losses. He went to Las Vegas and lost another $10 million, then lost $5 million more in Europe. His winning streak was over. At the same time, his business fell apart. The Japanese real estate market was created, and Kashiwagi was left with a huge amount of debt—$131 million. He owed more money than his properties were worth. The once notorious gambler disappeared from public view and was never seen alive again.
Conclusion
Kashiwagi’s murder remains still a mystery. He owed a lot of money, and some believe he was killed as an example to others. Japanese police arrested two suspects from the yakuza crime group, but they were released due to a lack of evidence. The case was never solved, and the time limit for prosecution expired in 2015. The story teaches two lessons: don’t try to win back losses by gambling more, and be cautious when dealing with powerful people like Donald Trump.
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