Well, maybe they haven't "smashed" them into oblivion, because, let's face it, people are always going to gamble and need to borrow money. But the government has done a pretty good job of putting boss after boss away.

Research aside, I'll speak from experience. I grew up in the heavily Italian Belmont section of the Bronx and still live in the northeast Bronx when I'm not in Florida. I'll tell you this much: these guys are nowhere close to what they were. And I ain't no kid. I'm 49 years old, which is old enough to remember when they were a powerhouse.

Will the government ever completely eliminate them? No, but they'll never be what they were.