FACT, FANCY, AND ORGANIZED CRIME

• NCJ Number: 56976
• Journal: Public Interest Issue: 53 Dated: (FALL 1978) Pages: 45-67
• Author(s): P REUTER; J B RUBINSTEIN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 23 pages
• Corporate Author: National Affairs, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE STRUCTURE AND OPERATION OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN NEW YORK CITY, PARTICULARLY GAMBLING RACKETS, AND LEGISLATIVE JUSTIFICATION FOR ORGANIZED CRIME LAWS ARE REVIEWED.

Abstract

WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND SEVERAL OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE AREA, AS WELL AS LOCAL PROSECUTOR OFFICES, FINANCIAL RECORDS OF MANY GAMBLING OPERATIONS RAIDED BY THE POLICE HAVE BEEN EXAMINED SINCE 1965. ILLEGAL GAMBLING IN NEW YORK CITY DOES NOT CONFORM TO THE TRADITIONAL BELIEF THAT ILLEGAL GAMBLING IS DOMINATED BY A CARTEL OF CRIMINAL GANGS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN MANY FORMS OF RACKETEERING. INSTEAD, THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT TYPES OF ILLEGAL GAMBLING IN THE CITY ARE BOOKMAKING AND THE NUMBERS GAME, EACH INVOLVING DIFFERENT OPERATORS AND DIFFERENT CLIENTELES. ANONYMITY PROVIDES IMPORTANT SECURITY FOR BOOKMAKERS AND THEIR CLERKS. BOOKMAKING ORGANIZATIONS ARE ANONYMOUS, AUTONOMOUS, LOCALIZED, HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, AND DO NOT FORM PART OF A LARGER CRIMINAL NETWORK. VIOLENCE DOES NOT PLAY A PART IN BOOKMAKING. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BOOKMAKING (A BUSINESS THAT DEPENDS ON SHORT-TERM CREDIT) AND LOANSHARKING IS CRITICAL, BUT POLICE OFFICERS SEEM TO BE UNAWARE OF THE RELATIONSHIP'S SIGNIFICANCE. IN CONTRAST TO BOOKMAKING, IMPORTANT RACKETEERS HAVE MORE DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN THE NUMBERS GAME. CORRUPTION APPEARS TO BE A MORE CENTRAL FEATURE OF THE NUMBERS GAME BECAUSE THE GAME IS STILL PRIMARILY AN ACTIVITY INVOLVING FACE-TO-FACE TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN THE CUSTOMER AND THE SELLER. DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT ILLEGAL GAMBLING ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF POLICE AND PROSECUTORS IN THIS AREA OF CRIME ARE DESCRIBED. CONSIDERATION IS ALSO GIVEN TO THE QUAYLE SURVEY OF OFF-TRACK HORSE BETTING AND TO OPINIONS ABOUT AND OPERATIONS OF THE MAFIA. TWO THEMES IN LEGISLATIVE JUSTIFICATION FOR ORGANIZED CRIME LAWS ARE IDENTIFIED, THE PREDATORY NATURE OF RACKETEERS AND CORRUPTION. THE IMPORTANCE OF OBTAINING ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE EXTENT OF ORGANIZED CRIME IS EMPHASIZED. (DEP)