Alleged mobbed-up NJ poker rooms busted (3 Viewers)

[Taghkanic]

New Jersey Attorney General announced that a ring of allegedly illegal poker rooms and sports books run by the Lucchese crime family was busted in New Jersey:

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/montc...e-sportsbook-according-to-attorney-general-16

 

[RocAFella1]

What chips?

 

[Taghkanic]

And apparently an elected official was deeply involved:

More information is coming out about Anand Shah, the councilman who was arrested for racketeering on April 9. According to the Attorney General, Shah “was identified as allegedly managing illegal poker games and an online sportsbook in association with the Lucchese Crime Family.”

The investigation uncovered additional poker clubs, the involvement of dozens of individuals alleged to have hosted poker games and worked at the poker clubs, and managed bettors on an illegal online sportsbook, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a press release today.

Platkin announced that 39 people have been charged with racketeering, gambling offenses, money laundering, and other crimes, after law enforcement executed search warrants at 12 locations throughout North Jersey earlier this week.

 

[Taghkanic]

What chips?

May have to check New Jersey seized property auctions in 9-12 months

 

[RocAFella1]

@Irish now is your time to shine!

 

[Taghkanic]

Why does the A.G. hate Rounders?

Romanticized versions of organized crime have been the subject of countless movies and television shows, often set right here in the Garden State,” Platkin said. “But the reality of organized crime isn’t romantic or cinematic.

https://www.nj.com/news/2025/04/gam...ly-operated-out-of-nj-businesses-ag-says.html

 

[Taghkanic]

Articles say they profited about $3M from four poker rooms over two years.

 

[Kam]

“The dealers were either paid by the hosts or were working off prior gambling debts owed to the hosts of the game.”

aaaand that’s how they probably made more profit than regular cardrooms, not paying for dealers. Bet they likely had to keep working just to stave off the interest never mind paying what they owed.

 

[Kam]

What chips?

$5 says dice. Mixed dice mind you, different variations and vendors for ‘red’ so our eyes would bleed. I doubt they’d be that concerned with security given who the ‘higher management’ were.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

“The dealers were either paid by the hosts or were working off prior gambling debts owed to the hosts of the game.”

aaaand that’s how they probably made more profit than regular cardrooms, not paying for dealers. Bet they likely had to keep working just to stave off the interest never mind paying what they owed.

Lot of it is high and inconsistent rake as well. Regular cardrooms have posted regulations, these guys had better massages though.

 

[WedgeRock]

Aren't three stripe Sopranos the official chip of New Jersey?

 

[dpeks13]

I'll let everyone know if I see @TheChipRoom driving up the Jersey Turnpike in a month

 

[Taghkanic]

Seems that the poker rooms were mostly or all in the back of restaurants.

 

[dpeks13]

Aren't three stripe Sopranos the official chip of New Jersey?

I think it's solids with the Bada Bing logo.

 

[Kam]

Yeah, I aint playing cards in anything that looks like this from the outside:

 

[Taghkanic]

I would guess that they made more taking sports bets from players than from the rake, even.

Considering the number of people indicted, if they were only making $1.5M/year that doesn’t actually sound like much. Works out to about $40K/each on average, but presumably the top guys got giant shares so the rest were working for peanuts. But maybe a lot of the profit was squirreled away.

 

[WedgeRock]

 

[Chubs]

…definitely going to be looking at PropertyRoom to see if anything pops up in the next few months. Hoping for custom labeled “Definitely Legit Casino” chips

 

[WedgeRock]

…definitely going to be looking at PropertyRoom to see if anything pops up in the next few months. Hoping for custom labeled “Definitely Legit Casino” chips

It'll be evidence for at least 18 months, probably longer.

 

[Chubs]

It'll be evidence for at least 18 months, probably longer.

Just gonna pretend that I think 18 is a few (probably should have clicked that it’d be in evidence for a while, oops)

 

[upNdown]

They just closed down one that I was completely unaware of in the city next to mine. And they seized 600,000 packs of unstamped cigarettes. That sounds like a lot.
https://www.patriotledger.com/story...e-tan-zheng-xiu-rong-li-indicted/83140612007/