Sonny Black here is the article why Del Balso was considered the underboss after he went to jail Cu#trera took over and was killed in 2010.


GangstersInc - March 6, 2007 11:47 AM (GMT)
Suspected Mafia underboss boasts of $1-billion sports betting network

WILLIAM MARSDEN, The Gazette
Published: Tuesday, March 06, 2007

An alleged Mafia underboss was running a sport bookmaking syndicate through which almost $500 million flowed in a period of only 11 months.

Police say Francesco del Balso, 36, ran 25 bookmaking operations in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto that del Balso himself boasted did more than $1 billion in business.

In Quebec, del Balso and his partner Lorenzo Giordano, 43, operated Internet and telephone sports gambling out of houses in Kahnawake, Montreal and Laval.

According to newly released court documents, the bookmaking shop in Kahnawake did $391.9 million in business from December 2004 to November 2005.

Of that amount, the gamblers lost $165,469,210 and won $147,829,478, according to an accounting study made by gambling expert Andy Durno.

All the bets were made through a website called World Sport Centre (betwsc.com).

Police say del Balso paid out $750,000 in operating costs, leaving him with a profit of about $17 million.

Many of the bettors were given lines of credit and codes with which to make their bets online. Del Balso had his finger on every aspect of the business.

Del Balso controlled the books, recovered money from losers and paid off winners, established credit margins and decided who was allowed to place bets and get credit, police say.

Collecting from losers was often the hardest job. Del Balso complained that while he paid his winners immediately, losers generally took some persuasion.

Wiretaps picked up del Balso griping about gambler Stewart (Stuey) Goldstein, who apparently owed del Balso $1.6 million.

"I am gonna have to go break his head," del Balso told two friends on Sept. 2, 2004.

Another gambler named "Dino" owed $100,000 and del Balso told him on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, that he wanted his money by the weekend. Dino replied that del Balso owed him $17,000 and still hadn't paid, which angered del Balso.

"Bro, there's no f-----g book in the city that doesn't belong to me, you know that. ... I have a f-----g book that's worth $50 million and you're telling me about $17,000. But you know how much we take? A billion dollars in action. You think I'm a f-----g clown or something, bro? I built a f-----g empire. What are you talking about 17 dimes ($17,000)? I spit on 17 dimes."

Dino: "I never called you a clown."

Del Balso: "I'm going to send my partner Lorenzo (Giordano) to talk to you. What the f---. Bring my f-----g money to me by the end of the week. I don't want to hear no story."

Del Balso himself was a compulsive gambler who dropped millions of dollars at the Montreal Casino.

He even played his own book and at one point had trouble making a $1,000 telephone bet on a St. Louis Rams football game because his clerks claimed they didn't know who he was.

"What's the password?" the clerk asked him.

"What password? It's me TT221," del Balso replied.

"Who is it?" the clerk asked.

An impatient del Balso replied: "It's the owner, Frank. Jesus Christ."

The documents indicate del Balso and Giordano worried they had too much cash.

"The cash, you can't do nothing, bro," del Balso said.

"It's worth dick, man," Giordano replied. "I wake up screaming in the middle of the night, bro."

Del Balso tried to launder millions of dollars through the casino, but kept losing money.

As one of the casino's high rollers, from 1996 to 2004, he bought $8.6 million in chips, but got back only $2.5 million in cheques.

Most of the balance he appears to have lost at the gaming tables.

Police charged del Balso and Giordano last November with drug trafficking, illegal gambling, money laundering and gangsterism. They were part of a takedown of 91 alleged Mafia members.

Giordano also faces an attempted murder charge.

Del Balso is in jail awaiting trial, while Giordano is a fugitive.

wmarsden@thegazette.canwest.com