Italian Mafia Gambling

High-stakes poker games in the backroom of social clubs are the image of how mobsters make gambling money, but day-to-day, the poker is only to get gamblers in the door. Once inside, mobsters push. Members of an Ontario ‘crime family’ with alleged ties to the Italian Mafia laundered more than $70 million in dirty money through provincial casinos in “just a few short years,” according. The Mafia The Mafia in Las Vegas Gambling has always been a very important business in the Mafia. From card games to betting on horses and other sports, the Mafia has earned cash from all of them. The investigation, into links between the mafia and gambling companies, alleges that SKS365 ⁠— Italy’s second-largest online sports betting operator as of August with 13.1% of the market ⁠— operated illegal gambling venues bankrolled by the Martiradonna mafia crime family. The company secured licences for the majority of its internet.

With the emergence of the Mafia during theProhibition era Mafia bosses fascinated the public and became a part of popularculture.[1] The American press influenced the popularityof the term “mafia” by applying the term to all forms of Italian organizedcrime and any type of gang activity in general. [2] However, theAmerican Mafia’s celebrity status was also met with the formation of stereotypesconcerning the American Mafia.

The first thing to know is that neither theMafia families in the U.S. nor Italy were organized crime associations modeledon the other.[3]The largest most powerful Mafia associations were the Sicilian Cosa Nostra andCalabrian’Ndrangheta. The American CosaNostra came from this Sicilian Mafia but has been completely independent.[4] Americans adopted some Italian traditionssuch as Omertà; code of honor and conduct, and secrecy forbidding governmentcooperation.[5]

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE SICILIANAND THE AMERICAN MAFIA

When it comes to the largest and mostpowerful Mafia association, they werea loose confederation of Mafia familiesthat mutually recognized each other but are independent on the majority ofissues. A family hierarchy was in placethat contained the same command positions.[6]

When analyzing the cultural aspects of boththe Sicilian and American Mafia, there are a few similarities between the two. Members became members via an initiationceremony that established “brotherhood bonds” between the new member and therest of the family members.The same codes of honor and Omertà;silence, were central to both Mafia organizations. Brotherhood bonds and the organization’sreputation worked to achieve personal goals and the goals of theorganization. However, personal goalswere considered subordinate to that of the groups. Complete obedience to the chief wasmandatory, and a failure to comply could be detrimental to that person andpossibly their family. Made members dohave some degree of autonomy but they are expected to give some profits to thefamily.[7] There were forbidden activities, such asorganization of prostitution and the commercialization of porn. However, some of these unspoken rules wereviolated in the U.S.[8]

The decline of both Mafia organizations was aresult of similar events. For bothMafia organizations strict recruitment criteria hindered the group’s overallsuccess and ability to compete in international illegal markets and toinfiltrate legitimate industries. Thus,Mafia numbers began to dwindle. Insistence on recruiting members fromspecific, limiting territories or ethnic backgrounds also shortened the list ofpotential candidates to become part of the Mafia.Mafia traditions and Mafiaideology of mutual aid honor and omertà became unattractive and less effectivein solidifying cooperation of made members.Such values were also ignored in every day dealings mainly by the chief.[9] Furthermore, family members felt that theyhad the right to avoid heavy personal sacrifice. The increased price of loyaltyand hard pressure from law enforcement led to a significant amount of criminalprosecutions.[10]Inthe United States, Mafia groups since the 1960s had been decreasing in their abilityto attract “able, intelligent, ambitious Italian Americans” of youngergenerations because a criminal career is not appealing to those young men.[11] Slowly but surely the strength and power ofthe Mafia began to diminish.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SICILIANAND AMERICAN MAFIA

Dimensions and manpower weredis-proportionate between the two. The territory of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra inthe smaller country of Italy was larger than that of America’s. The AmericanCosa Nostra was at first concentrated in the East, specifically in NY wherethere was the highest concentration of Sicilian Immigrants. Gangsters inItalian-American neighborhoods could not reproduce their homelandinstitutions. Therefore, criminalorganization was altered and had to be adapted to different conditions,opportunities and limitations in the U.S. Illegal organizations became a blendof the Italian model reconstructed to fit the needs of the American world.[12]

Interactions within each organization werealso different. AmericanMafia families were internally stratified and segmented. Members were limited in their interactionswith each other and the chief due to the size of the family. This was not so with the Sicilian Mafiafamily. Within the Sicilian Mafia,members did interact with one another and had met their chief.[13]

The activities that each Mafia associationwas involved with were not all the same. Gambling provided the AmericanMafia families with the largest revenues after the repeal of Prohibition. However,gambling never had any relevance for the Sicilian Mafia families.[14]The Sicilian Mafia taxed the main productive activities within their owncommunities, extorted residents and claimed full political power over theirterritory. [15]However, the American Mafia did not have highenough concentrations of an Italian immigrant population in which Mafia groupscould hold political control.

The American Mafia adjusted to America’smaterialistic attitude that placed an emphasis on making money. Members usedviolence, brotherhood ties, and the organization’s reputation to make money. WhenProhibition was established, an enormous money-making opportunity wasbirthed. As a matter of fact, the AmericanMafia’s power and strength grew immensely because of its success in the illegalliquor trade in the 1920s.[16] It wasn’t until the 1960s that the CosaNostra and ‘Ndhangheta begin to increase tapping into their money-makingabilities.[17] The Sicilian Mafia was limited mostly todrug-trafficking as a source of revenue.[18]

The beginnings of both organizationsandtheir rise to power do not share any similarities what so ever, which isunderstandable being that the Mafia originated in Sicily. The Mafia merely crossed the Atlantic,expanded and assimilated itself into America.[19] Nonetheless, it is pertinent to evaluate thebeginnings of the Mafia in Sicily, and their beginnings in the United States.

Sicily untilthe mid-19^th century was ruled by foreign invaders. Sicilians came together in groups to protectthemselves and in doing so established their own justice system. These groups soon became known as “families,”and carried out their dealings in secret. Some of these groups establishedprivate armies called “mafia.” The Mafiatook advantage of the frequent chaotic and violent conditions in Italy andextorted money from landowners in return from protection. From this the Mafia developed into theSicilian Mafia, violent criminals, organized into a collection of clans.[20]

In the 1870sRoman officials in a desperate plea for help went to the Mafia. Chaos and violence were at an extreme as theSicilian government adjusted themselves after officially becoming “added onto”Italy. Roman officials asked Sicilian Mafia clans to assist with helping goafter dangerous, independent criminal bands. In exchange, officials would ignore the Mafia’s extortion of money fromlandowners. Mafia clans expandedcriminal activities and further embedded themselves in Sicilian politics andeconomy.[21]

Organizedcrime was certainly present in America prior to the 1920’s. Prohibition,however, was the crucial event that propelled the Mafia to power and shiftedtheir interests from petty street crimes and extortion to illegal business on anational scale.[22]

[1]A&E Television Network. Mafia in theUnited States. <http://www.history.com/topics/origins-of-the-mafia> (accessed October, 17 2011)

[2]John Dickie. Cosa Nostra: A History ofthe Sicilian Mafia.(Gordonsville:Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), 171

[3] Letizia Paoli. Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, ItalianStyle. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003),12

[5]Mafia in the United States

[7] Paoli, 5

Italian Mafia Gambling Websites

[9] Paoli, 11

[11] Paoli, 11

[13] Paoli, 7

[15] Paoli, 8

[16]A&E Television Network. Origins ofthe Mafia. <http://www.history.com/topics/origins-of-the-mafia> (accessed October 17, 2011)

[18]Paoli, 10

[19]A&E Television Network.“The Mafia’s Sicilian Roots:” Origins of the Mafia. <http://www.history.com/topics/origins-of-the-mafia> (accessed October, 17 2011)

[20] “TheMafia’s Sicilian Roots.” Origins of theMafia

[21]A&E Television Network.“Mafia on the Rise in Italy:” Origins of the Mafia.

<http://www.history.com/topics/origins-of-the-mafia> (accessed October 17, 2011)

Introduction

TheAmerican Mafia, also known as ‘the Mob,’ has attained the status ofpop icons within American culture. This outcome has been due tomovies which have depicted members of the Italian Mob as ruthless butlikable individuals. Many films centered on the Mafia have a scenewhere a group of tough-looking mobsters sit around a table playing agame of poker. This famous scene is probably why many peopleassociate casino table games with the Mob. Is the Mafia involved ingambling? To answer this question, we should first gain anunderstanding of who the Mafia are.

Historyof the Mafia

Theterm ‘Mafia’ primarily refers to an intensely hierarchical ItalianAmerican criminal society that has existed in the US from the 1900s.Members of the organization are predominantly of Italian originbecause the Mafia is an offshoot of the much older Sicilian Mafia.Sicily is in Europe and has been an autonomous part of Italy from thetime of the Romans.

Asthe largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily has been conqueredand ruled by multiple empires. This successive occupation byoppressive regimes is the reason why the people on the islandacquired their rebellious streak. The Sicilian Mafia could itself bea descendant of revolutionary groups formed to oppose the foreignoccupation of the island.

TheMafia in America

TheMafia emerged in poor immigrant neighborhoods of major Americancities on the east coast in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Duringthis period, the fascist dictator Mussolini was in power in Italy andwas hell-bent at eradicating all opposition to his regime. Theoutcome was political upheaval in Italy, marked by the arrest andexecution of members of the Sicilian Mafia. The result was asignificant departure of Sicilian immigrants from the Island to theAmericas. Some immigrants ended up in Brazil and Argentina while anotable majority arrived on the shores of the USA.

Theharsh living conditions and high unemployment escalated crime inghettos like New York East Harlem. As a means of protection and as away to pool meager resources together, residents in Sicilianneighborhoods began to form loose coalitions made up of skilled andunskilled laborers. The government opposed the formation of suchgroups because they represented opposition to the rule of law in theghettos. This outcome caused the loose coalitions among Sicilianimmigrants to morph into a hierarchical underground organization. Themembership grew to include Sicilian immigrants from all major ghettoson the east coast.

Thisis how the American Mafia came into being. The essential unit of theMafia was, and still, is the ‘family’ whereby family refers to eachdistinct underground criminal organization in the Mob. Because NewYork ghettos were at the epicenter, the first five leading Mafiafamilies were all from New York. These Mafia families are Lucchese,Gambino, Genovese, Bonnano, and Colombo. These Mafia families wereinvolved in both legit and illegit businesses. The organization hadvast networks of legit grocery stores, restaurants, and clubs. It wasalso involved in several underground criminal activities, whichincluded illegal bookmaking operations, illegal gambling pools,illegal gambling halls in addition to drug and liquor trafficking.

TheMafia and Legal Gambling

TheMafia had been involved in illegal gambling in major east coastcities before the government legalized gambling in 1931. Thegovernment had the desire to entice the Mafia to move their gamblingoperations to the state of Nevada and away from the east coast. Inthis way, the administration hoped to put a leash on the Mafia’sgambling revenue stream as well as lower crime in east coast cities. The 1931 gambling legislation turned out to be a genius move by thefederal government.

Italian Mafia In America

By1940 major Mafia families from New York and Chicago had set up basesin Las Vegas. Major Mafia families did not waste the opportunity toenter legal business and were among the first groups to investmentsin Las Vegas. The Desert Inn, the Thunderbird, and Flamingo are someof the earliest and best-known casinos with certified ties to the NewYork Mafia. By 1946, the Mafia had been playing a pivotal role in thetransformation of Highway 91 to the glamorous Las Vegas strip.

TheChicago Mob was not to be left behind for long and by 1950 was behindthe creation of the Stardust, Fremont, Sahara, and Riviera. By thistime, Las Vegas was the number one gambling destination in the US. Anincreasingly large number of tourists came from the west coast andsouthwest as compared to the east coast in the early days. This couldbe because the involvement of the Mafia was mostly unknown in thewest. The infamy of the Mafia did keep tourists from visiting LasVegas early on, but this changed as the reputation of their casinosspread.

By1970, the Mafia families that had been in Las Vegas from itsinception found a way to recoup their investment. This opportunitywas in the form of the legislature that allowed public corporationsto own and run casinos. The families made colossal profits by sellingtheir casino establishments to other public and private investors. Agood example is when a New York Mafia family sold the Desert InnCasino to multimillionaire Howard Hughes. It is worth noting that asubstantial number of Las Vegas casinos do not have any affiliationwith the Mafia. Private mega-corporations, with no ties to the Mafia,now own most of the casinos.

TheMafia in Italy

Despitethe attempts of Mussolini to purge the island of Sicily of the Mafia,the original Sicilian Mafia has evolved to become a significantpolitical power in Italy. Well-known Mafioso has gone on to holdsignificant positions in government and industry in thisMediterranean Nation. However, even in their home country, theItalian Mafia is no stranger to controversy. The group has beenlinked to known attempts to undermine the government’s gamblingmonopoly in Italy.

A national-wide new feature hasexposed that the Italian Mafia is behind a scheme targetinggovernment-approved slot machines. The group is said to have soughtthe aid of foreign hackers in rigging the slot machines connected tothe Italian government gambling control network. The outcome was thata percentage of the money from the slot machines was diverted toMafia offshore coffers. Computer hackers were able to install linksto external gambling platforms by creating a parallel networks tothose controlled by the government.

Furtherinvestigations have revealed that the Italian Mafia has been involvedin the manufacture, supply, and installation of cloned slot machinesacross the nation. The affected gaming machines have includedwell-known brands, including Rischiatutto and Normandia 2 slotmachines. The Italian government asserts that it has taken steps toeliminate the Mafia backed slot machine smuggling ring. Thegovernment has also promised that gambling within the country is toremain under the firm control of the administration.

Conclusion

Thepresent-day Mafia in the United States is known to be still active innortheastern cities, including New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia,Buffalo, and New England. The Mob is also present in several citiesin the Midwestern United States, including Chicago, Kansas,Cleveland, Detroit, and St. Louis. The organization has a minimalpresence in the south and west coasts in cities including Denver, NewOrleans, and Los Angeles. However, the Mafia today are not asinvolved in the gambling arena as they were once were. Anyaffiliation of a gambling establishment to the Mafia is more likelyprofessional than criminal.

Otherthan the USA and Italy, there is hardly any other country in whichthe Mafia has been directly involved in gambling. This, however, doesnot mean that there aren’t other equally organized criminalorganizations that might be interested in gambling. These groups maybe active in the gambling sector within their country of origin.

Thiscan be said of such countries such as Russia, India, Malaysia, and avast host of other countries the world over. Such criminal groupscould be involved in the manufacture and distribution of gamingequipment. They may also be involved in the creation of legal orillegal gambling establishments. The involvement could also be higherup in government where a criminal group can influence legislationaffecting gambling. It is virtually impossible to rule out theinvolvement of criminal groups in gambling because of the undeniablelure of huge earnings. However, you need not fear when visiting alegal betting establishment anywhere in the USA.