Are there numbers,on how much each mafia group in the USA make anually?I wondered if smaller groups like in Kansas or now defunct groups in their later years had notable income?

Trying to figure out mob income is probably the most difficult (nearly futile) of endeavors. Even the official estimates are all over the place. For the Genovese family for instance, I've seen estimates ranging anywhere from $100 million to $2 billion a year.

Are there just official estimates and the bigger groups or also for smaller ones?Can you guess, if the smaller active groups make it in the millions?

when they talk about the numbers racket what all does that entail?

An illegal number game. If you have a daily lottery game in your state, this would be the illegal version of it, usually run by some sort of organized crime group.

Thanks that is what I thought, do these still exist today? With all the various state lotteries I wouldn't think it would be that profitable

maybe its tax free:)

There are still a few places to play the illegal number here in the Bronx, but they're few and far between. The only upside is that you can play smaller increments with the illegal number. You can still bet a quarter if you want to. Whereas with the state number, the minimum bet is 50 cents. Years ago, being able to play numbers for nickels and dimes is what made the illegal number so appealing in poorer neighborhoods.

There have continued to be busts involving numbers gambling and the mob in recent years but it seems to be an appendage to the more popular (and profitable) sports betting. The numbers racket is probably most popular in the Hispanic areas today.

Thanks...I could see how it would be a larger entity in some of the illegal immigrant areas of NYC and Miami where they are afraid to take part in the legal lottery

Hijacking trucks must surely be a thing of the past what with GPS tracking nowerdays and security camera's dotted all over the streets!

I would bet financial crimes if they are into it like the russians are, saw a report where a Rusian crinme ring stole up to a few billion $$ untraceable last year through cyber theft.... and then contruction and gambling and loanshraks to the gamblers would be some of the ways

Yeah, hijacking trucks was passe by the 1980's, what with the new technology. And the profit wasn't there anymore. The mob is still involved in stolen goods but not on the scale when they were pilfering JFK.



Over the past 15 years or so the mob has been involved in a lot of that stuff - stocks/securities fraud, health care fraud, computer fraud, telecommunications fraud, etc. But the more traditional rackets like gambling, loansharking, etc. are still their core.

I think that gambling finances alot of the other stuff.

this thread got me thinking, which single racket generates the most money overall? i would have to say gambling or drugs depending on which family or crew we are discussing.

Single racket?

Gambling (specifically sports betting), by far. Shylocking would be the other staple.

The neighborhood bookies and the neighborhood shylocks are the most accessible street guys. I guess it's possible that you could live in an Italian neighborhood and go your whole life without personally knowing a single made guy. But everyone knows a bookie or two. And that easy accessibility is what makes them such big money makers.

good point about the accesibility. the larger amount of people that have ready access to your illicit service means more money, which is why drugs are another big money maker, although gambling seems to still be one of the "socially acceptable vices" tolerated in modern day society. drugs not so much, although that seems to be changing in particular with "softer" drugs. another reason that gambling is such a dominant money maker is the fact that shylocking goes hand in hand with it. i wonder what % of money loaned out is for gambling? probably alot.

Several members of the Philly Mob are on welfare.

^^^like who ?

Gambling has been the single biggest money maker for the mob since the end of Prohibition. There are old articles from the 1970's that had comments from different law enforcement officials predicting that drugs would overtake gambling as the biggest source of income. But it never really happened. Drugs has long been one of the top ones but the mob has been more successful at keeping it's stake in gambling.

For the record there is no mafia, in Kansas and never has been. There is a mafia family in Kansas City MISSOURI. Kansas has nothing but Dorthy, Sunflowers and the Jayhawks.

They never did anything in the 'burbs across the Kansas side of the state line? That would technically speaking be Kansas.

Are you serious? Well then using that logic, the Gambino's are from Jersey, cause they did some business there. KC organized crime was headquartered in Missouri,yes they did have interests in a few strip clubs in Kansas, they had some in Oklahoma also so maybe we should say there from Oklahoma.

I was half kidding.

I was genuinely curious as to whether they did anything over there though.

BTW - Seriously, Oklahoma?! Wow. What parts/towns?

They were trying to bring gambling and hookers to Grove Oklahoma, North East Oklahoma near the Grand Lakes of the Cherokee's. Turned into a deal, they had a guy hit, Duardi and Nate Brancato got popped with some plastic explosives and extorsion conspiracy's. They did some time over it. I think the peckerwood they were using was named King if I remember.

Here is a link

http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2...00.73-1288.html