Introduction
Depending on which source you feel can be the most trusted, illegal gambling in the United States involves $80 billion to $580 billion annually. Most evidence points to the involvement of Organized Crime in this situation, but, contrary to popular belief, the organized crime is not just Italian, but includes French, Russian, German, Japanese and Chinese gangs. This paper will analyze the situation of organized crime in sports by discussing: A) The Scope of the problem, B) History, C) Organized Crime control, D) Can it be Controlled?
Scope of the Problem
America is a sports-loving nation and there is strong fan support for many different types of teams -- baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. Gambling on the outcome of sports events is, however, not a uniquely American institution, since history records gambling on races as long ago as 2,500 years.
In the introduction of this paper, a range of $80 billion to $580 billion was mentioned as the scope of illegal sports gambling. The upper figure is probably more the figures of “legal sports gambling.” Despite its popularity, sports wagering in America is legal only in Nevada and Oregon. Nevada has 142 legal sports books that allow wagering on professional and amateur sports while Oregon’s program is connected with its Lottery and only allows gambling on pro football games without the spread. The Nevada Gaming Commission reports that sports wagering in these books averages between $2 billion to $3 billion per year. One major strip casino, the Tropicana, said that in the year 2000, betting on amateur events accounted for 33 percent of its book revenue.
Although much of the illegal sports gambling centers on professional sports and horse r...
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...tates House, Organized Crime in Sports. U.S. Congress. House. Select Committee on Crime. Organized Crime in Sports (racing). Hearings. May 9-July 27, 1972. 1973. 92d Congress, 2d Session.
Hyde Schedules Hearing on College Sports Gambling, online at http://www.house.gov.judiciary/na061200.htm
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What has changed the way America’s pastime is looked at forever and prompt worldwide discussion? Joe Jackson and his seven teammates changed the face of baseball forever during the intimate scandal of 1919. No other time in baseball history did Americans question the state of the game. Pete Rose had also brought a debate like no other before in baseball. Since his banishment in 1989 the country has been split on the issue. Gambling by these men and others has caused great problems in baseball. The game of baseball has been destroyed by gambling.
As more and more immigrants began to spread throughout the US, more and more gangs of people began to emerge. Gangs were usually made up of people of a common ethnicity, whether it be Irish, Italian, or Hispanic. These gangs were usually victims of anti-immigrant policies and looked for strength in numbers. As gangs became more and more sophisticated they realized they could make profits from the power they were accumulating. One of the most recognizable examples is the bootlegging of alcohol during the Prohibition. When federal officials attempted to enforce legislation such as the Volstead Act, there was a surge of illegal sales and profits. In 1927, Al Capone and his gang racked up over $60 million from bootlegged alcohol. With all of this money came tons of violence, people were getting murdered in broad daylight just so others could have a sum of all of this wealth. Soon Mob families would own clubs or casinos to increase their wealth. The attendees weren’t only made up of rich mob bosses, the alcohol, dancing, and gambling attracted many ordinary
When looking into the history of our culture, there are many subtopics that fall under the word, “history.” Topics such as arts and literature, food, and media fall into place. Among these topics reside sports. Since the beginning of time, sports have persisted as an activity intertwined with the daily life of people. Whether it is a pick-up game of football in the backyard, or catching an evening game at the local stadium, sports have become the national pastime. According to Marcus Jansen of the Sign Post, more specifically, baseball is America’s national pastime, competing with other sports (Jansen 1). Providing the entertainment that Americans pay top dollar for, live the role models, superstars, and celebrities that put on a jersey as their job. As said in an article by Lucas Reilly, Americans spend close to $25.4 billion dollars on professional sports (Reilly 4). The people that many children want to be when they grow up are not the firefighters or astronauts told about in bed time stories. These dream jobs or fantasies have become swinging a bat or tossing a football in front of millions of screaming fans. When asked why so many dream of having such job, the majority will respond with a salary related answer. In today’s day and age, the average athlete is paid more than our own president. The cold hard facts show that in professional sports, the circulation of money is endless. Certain teams in professional baseball and football are worth over millions of dollars. Consequently, the teams who are worth more are able to spend more. The issue that arises with this philosophy is virtually how much more? League managers, team owners and other sports officials have sought out a solution to the surfacing problem. Is it fair to let...
Summary of the article – The researcher chose to analyze an area where the monopoly sport leagues hurt a bunch of different groups. They do this by controlling the competitive entry or putting specific holds on to a company through anticompetitive rules. This article uses government theories of antitrust liability to show how it effects sports fans and shows how new legislation could change that. Sports leagues have changed rules to make sure fans in all areas can enjoy everything sports have to offer to them. The different leagues have made agreements with each other to make sure fans get the best and most improved product at all times. (Ross 2001)
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Noll, Roger, and Zimbalist, Andrew. Sports, Jobs, and Taxes: The Economic Impact of Sports Teams and Stadiums. Brooking institutions press, Summer 1997. Vol. 15 No. 3.
Luzer, Daniel. "College Guide: The Profit in College Sports." The Washington Monthly. N.p., 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
4. Lajis, Razak Haji. The History Of Drug Abuse In Sports. 14 Apr. 2001 .
When Americans hear the names Al Capone, Pablo Escobar and even Tony Soprano voluminous thoughts come to mind, one recollection being the organized crime that all of them were involved in. Popular culture has ingrained the image of the mafia or the mob when we think of organized crime. In order to understand how organized crime came to grow so productive, one must understand what exactly organized crime is. It is hard to tell where or when organized crime in the United States began, but there is a clear timeframe that organized crime began to spread and multiply. Before there were speakeasies and bootleggers, there was the 18th amendment that outlawed the sell and consumption of Alcohol. It was a simple notion of supply and demand. Many Americans
Abstract: Collegiate athletes participating in the two revenue sports (football, men's basketball) sacrifice their time, education, and risk physical harm for their respected programs. The players are controlled by a governing body (NCAA) that dictates when they can show up to work, and when they cannot show up for work. They are restricted from making any substantial financial gains outside of their sports arena. These athletes receive no compensation for their efforts, while others prosper from their abilities. The athletes participating in the two revenue sports of college athletics, football and men's basketball should be compensated for their time, dedication, and work put forth in their respected sports.
Peter Maas declares organized crime the “biggest business in the country” (Maas). “The largest and best known organized crime group is the nationwide organization variously known as the ‘syndicate’, the ‘mob’, the ‘Mafia’, and the ‘Cosa Nostra’” (Nash, Jason O-155). Some activities of the Mafia include gambling, loan sharking, pornography, illicit drugs, and racketeering. The Mafia began in Sicily, but did not retain to just that one location. In fact, in the late nineteenth century many of the Sicilian members immigrated to the United States (Nash O-155). The Mafia in the United States contains members that are Americans with Sicilian ancestry (“Mafia” M-48). There are several Mafia groups in the United States. Law enforcement authorities agree that there are around twenty-five groups that operate in large cities across the nation (Nash O-155).
Sports affect major institutions of society, including the mass media, politics, religion, education, and family. The Super Bowl gathers thousands of viewer’s attention, including those who do not usually watch the regular season games. Football is by all means an American sport. Since the day a baby is born in America, whether it be a boy or a girl, one of the first words they learn to say is ball, and after a few months they add the word foot in front of the word ball, and by the time you know it your baby boy is playing football, and your little girl is cheering “Go Steeler’s go!” and without intention their cultural identity starts.
Reppetto, Thomas. American Mafia A history of Its Rise to Power. Edited by John Macrae. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2004.
Gambling is described as the betting of money or property on the result of an event or game that is mainly random with the desire to win more money or gain additional property. The industry or sector created by the activity of legal gambling is referred to as gaming. Since inception, gambling and gaming has continued to develop to an extent that it worth more than $335 billion across the globe. Most of the revenues obtained in this industry are generated by casinos and lotteries. In the past few years, gambling and gaming have attracted significant concern and controversy, especially with regards to the morality of the practice and whether its financial benefits outweigh the damage. While proponents of gambling
Sports are one of the most profitable industries in the world. Everyone wants to get their hands on a piece of the action. Those individuals and industries that spend hundreds of millions of dollars on these sports teams are hoping to make a profit, but it may be an indirect profit. It could be a profit for the sports club, or it could be a promotion for another organization (i.e. Rupert Murdoch, FOX). The economics involved with sports have drastically changed over the last ten years.