Federal Gambling Crackdown in New York Sees Highest Number of Arrests Under Mafia Assistance
Title: New York's Black Market Gambling: A RICO Raid on Organized Crime
Posted On: April 28, 2025, 06:49h. Last Updated On: May 2, 2025, 11:50h.
Author: Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc
Categories: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming
For the fifth consecutive year, the Empire State reigns as the nation's top location for federal gambling arrests, bucking the argument that legalizing and regulating gambling centers kills the black market. In 2023, New York clocked 339 gambling-related arrests, surpassing Nevada's 236, as per WalletHub.
The Old Guard Persists in the City that Never Sleeps
The Big Apple is notorious for its five organized crime families, and it seems the New York Mafia is unwilling to abandon its old ways.
"Thanks to the city's infamous crime element, there'll always be a black market," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told the New York Post.
Ingrained in the Concrete Jungle
Illegal gambling has long been a lucrative venture for the Mob, alongside staples such as extortion, loan sharking, protection rackets, labor racketeering, and drug trafficking.
Though legal gambling has surely hurt street-level bookies and casinos, New York's underground gambling networks, dating back generations, don't disappear overnight.
It's worth noting that WalletHub's data is sourced from the FBI's Crime Data Explorer, which tends to overlook low-level gambling arrests. However, matters involving organized crime often grant federal jurisdiction under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Casinos RICO-Sized
When it comes to clamping down on New York's mobs, their gambling rackets are usually a convenient starting point. The RICO Act empowers prosecutors to link several crimes, including gambling, money laundering, and loan sharking, under one grand conspiracy case.
Flipping a small-time operative and moving up the criminal echelon is a common FBI strategy.
Mob Bosses Busteds
Despite the decline of the New York Mafia's heyday, the families are still active, and 2023 saw a spurt in arrests.
In June 2023, 17 individuals linked to the Gambino crime family, including a former cop, were indicted for an illegal gambling and loansharking operation valued at $22.7 million on Staten Island.
In April 2023, Genovese gangster Salvatore "Sal the Shoemaker" Rubino copped a plea for running an illegal gambling operation from his Brooklyn shoe repair shop. His arrest was part of a wider operation orchestrated by both the Genovese and Bonanno families, involving another corrupt cop, Hector Rosario, awaiting sentencing.
Update: An earlier version inaccurately listed Rubino as part of a wider operation by the Genovese and Gambino families. An apology for any confusion caused is extended.
- In 2023, the Empire State, particularly New York, recorded 339 gambling-related arrests, making it the nation's top location for such arrests, as per WalletHub.
- The persistence of the New York Mafia, one of the city's five organized crime families, indicates that the city's black market gambling is still thriving.
- The FBI, in its investigation on the black market gambling, has succeeded in linking organized crime activities such as gambling, money laundering, and loan sharking under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
- In June 2023, 17 individuals associated with the Gambino crime family, including a former cop, were indicted for an illegal gambling and loansharking operation worth $22.7 million in Staten Island.
- In April 2023, Salvatore "Sal the Shoemaker" Rubino, a Genovese gangster, pleaded guilty for running an illegal gambling operation from his Brooklyn shoe repair shop.
- The arrest of Rubino was part of a wider operation orchestrated by both the Genovese and Bonanno families, also involving another corrupt cop, Hector Rosario.
- During the updates on the General News and Crime & Justice sections in 2023, New York's black market gambling, continual existence was a recurring narrative, pointing towards its deep roots in the city's underbelly.
