Mafia involvement in Costa Rica

Does the American Mafia or the Mafia in Italy have any involvement in Costa Rica like they did in Cuba? Costa Rica has a high tourist attraction and there are many resorts, casinos, like there was in Cuba. Is Costa Rica the new Cuba?

The mob is heavily involved with sports gambling in costa rica

there was that guy Louie haha that went there to live after sal vitale flipped I guess they don't extradite back to USA but they did him and some reason every family has guys there running gambling web pages itsegal there and there loopholes. that big jersey luchese bust had guy running it there.

Some LCN members have been known to live there and hideout down there. There is a high demand for sports betting to where mobsters and their associates will become a silent partner in some of those venues, mostly online gambling. The Lucchese bust is the biggest case of this to come out Costa Rica from the city of San Jose. In terms of Mafia involvement, I would have to say the Russian mafia and other eastern european mobsters have a stronger hold on Costa Rica through auto theft, drugs, gambling, and smuggling.

And there are a shitload of them actually living there, too. Try to find ONE Italian American mob guy who's willing to set up house in Central America.

They are heavily involved in the sports betting and the casinos throughout Costa Rica. Everywhere you go you meet bookmakers from the NY/NJ area, its pretty comical actually.

Yes big time but only sports and horse gambling

But they are only wire rooms , the $ stays in the states

It's funny but many of the wire rooms were outsourced to Costa Rica lol

Just was in jaco beach for a bachelor party... sickest 4 days of my life

there was this big italian dude who appeared to be running the little casino at my hotel

didn't gamble a dollar... there was too much other stuff going on lol

@ Shamm

Ah...... Sounds like you stayed at Casino Cocal?!?

Am I right....

YOU KNOW IT...

stayed in the Condos connected to the Cocal.... fucking awesome trip

I've spent some time over the years at Casino Cocal, the nightly pool party is the BEST LOL....

I know the big Italian guy you are referring to but I don't want to go into particular details on here, since its not public knowledge.

Costa Rica will give you up for money if the United States wants you bad enough to pay them. Simple as that. That being said, it's pretty rare and usually only happens in murder cases.


The has-been who has Jim Gray conned down there? That guy?

It's common knowledge that he was banging the old coot's wife. And THAT'S how he got the job. It had nothing to do with the street.

@ Pizza, I respect people's privacy and also mind my business/don't want to put anything out on here that hasn't been in the media yet. I will PM you

the scene at the pool was something out of a movie... the funniest thing was that I met three people down there who were also from Queens staying at the hotel...small world

Yeah, we called it "Bookmakers Resort" EVERYONE was from NY/NJ/Boston, it was funny LOL

I'd say probably 9 out of 10 mob bookmaking busts involve phone banks and internet sites based in Costa Rica.

You can just as easily call it the "Hooker's Resort." Not that the two terms are mutually exclusive .