The poker player has invited family, friends and fellow punters from all over the world to help him see in his half-century.

Steicke, Walsh and Ranogajec were members of a hand-picked group of high-end gamblers who bet around the world. The ATO had pursued them for billions but just a week ago the case was settled for a lot less.

The memory of its battle against Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan must still have been fresh in the minds of senior ATO officials.

Once again the ATO had launched a case against a high-profile taxpayer based on insider information about a complicated offshore financial structure.

But, confronted with a public outcry, it again struck a deal thought to be well shy of its initial huge claim.

Was the reason that the ATO lowered its claim against the punters due to a lack of evidence or problems with overseas documents?

Or was the hasty settlement a sign that the ATO did not want to become embroiled in years of costly litigation against a group that had very deep pockets?

They won their billions by using computer programming and algorithms to beat the system. Hundreds of people were employed by companies that undertook this work.

In , the Tax Office thought it had struck gold because of the fallout when Steicke separated from his wife Elisabeth Capone and moved to Hong Kong.

Elisabeth, left in Adelaide and looking after a disabled son, was convinced her ex-husband was hiding assets offshore and contacted both the ATO and the Australian Federal Police within months of her husband leaving her.

She believed she knew intimate details of the club and its complex operations and was prepared to trade on them. So when lawyer Mauro Gagliardi made contact purportedly on behalf of Elisabeth, the ATO seized the opportunity.

The first secret meeting between Gagliardi and ATO officers was arranged at the Adelaide Casino on August 9, , eight months after Steicke left his wife.

Gagliardi proposed that the ATO could have transactional records from TABs across the world, emails, international bank details and access to a former employee if it agreed to the deal.

A key part of the offer was a demand that the ATO levy a minimum penalty of 50 per cent on any tax liability including income, GST and capital gains.

They kept no books or records and outsourced the betting to others. The South Australian link to the Punters Club is Mr Steicke and the South Australian winemaker Raymond Gatt, who owns three vineyards including Eden Springs, and spends half his time in Asia where he works "in computer software development".

Head of the club is Zeljko Ranogajec, an ex-Tasmanian who has been called "the world's biggest punter".

Until David Steicke had a Thousands of bets are laid each day around the world on everything from women's tennis to American gridiron and Hong Kong horse racing.

Her brother, Jack Capone, for a decade ran the local betting operations from the former Gothic Hotel, Whitmore Square, and later at the Windmill Hotel, in Prospect.

David credited his win to a good run of cards but reporters at the event praised his impressive reads and aggressive play, which included a pivotal bluff against Tony Bloom.

A call was pondered by Bloom, but eventually he folded. I thought I had the jack of diamonds at first. I guess he laid down top pair, but I've laid down top pair before when there was four to a flush on board.

He boasts a strong passion for sport and still travels home to Adelaide to watch his favorite sporting teams play each year. Born in Australia, Andrew moved to Hong Kong in and Macau in , when he founded O MEDIA.

In an eclectic career he has been an accountant, nightclub manager, sports betting business manager, educator, high stakes poker player and television commentator, journalist and publisher.

Andrew was the Macau Person of the Year and is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, a permanent member of the Macau Gaming Management Association, Vice Chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Macau, and President of the Macau Taxi Passengers Association.

He is a member of the International Federation of Journalists, the Portuguese and English Press Association of Macau and the Poker Tournament Directors Association.

He is a well recognised media commentator in Macau on a range of issues and is extensively networked. Michael Mariakis.