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Originally posted by Cristina's Way:
Regarding dontomasso's post, I recall this conversation Sonny started at the dinner table in the first Godfather:
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Sonny: You know n***ers are havin' a good time with our [word?] up there in Harlem, drivin' them new Cadillacs -- payin' fifty percent on a bet.

Carlo: I knew that was gonna happen soon as they started makin' big money.
I wasn't sure what this meant when I first heard it. Does it mean that blacks were recruited as bookies so that the crime families could take advantage of money-making opportunities in Harlem?

Is this historically accurate? (Well, it probably is if a meticulous director like FFC included it. But then again it was just a passing line in the movie, so maybe it wasn't checked for accuracy.)

I'm not exactly sure what a bookie does. I know it has something to do with betting. So I gather people placed their bets on the outcomes of sporting events. But if they won, the bookie gets half the proceeds? Is this how it works, and is this how the bookie makes his money? Oh, such naive questions. Somebody educate me. [Linked Image] [/b]
A bookie is a low level independent illegal businessman that takes bets on "numbers" and sporting events. He usually turns his "action" into a "house" where he is paid a commission based on the amount he turns in.

Most action with blacks is with the daily number. The odds are 1000-1, and most bookies pay off only 600/700-1. When Sonny said they are only paying off 50%, he meant that instead of the bookie paying off $600 on a one dollar bet, the bookie was only paying off $500 and pocketing the other $100 for himself, plus his commission from the house.

I love my Chrysler and tuna fish sandwiches.