numbers rackets
Underground digit gambling
Numbers rackets are illegal gambling operations where players bet on numbers—typically three digits—drawn from some ostensibly random source like horse race results or stock figures.
Popular in American cities through much of the 20th century, they were often run by organized crime: The mob controlled the numbers rackets in Harlem.
State lotteries have largely displaced them.
- mafiasOrganized crime syndicates
- mob bossCriminal organization's top figure
- bettingStaking money on outcomes
- lotteryRandomized prize distribution
- gangstersOrganized crime members
odds · gambling · payout · pay off · policy · Harlem · loan sharking · slips · street corner · underground networks · mobs · runner · fraud · luck · bookie · crimes · poverty · bootlegging
numbers racketsPowerball
National lottery with massive prizes
Mega Millions · pari-mutuel betting · state lotteries · state lottery · scratch-off tickets
number, numbers, numbered, numbering, numberless, numeral, numerals, numerate, numeration