During the mob’s heyday, it's illicit gambling rackets were running full-steam ahead and generating billions of dollars annually into the underworld's coffers.

The question is, in your opinion, which type of gambling operation was the simplest to operate and control, and conversely, which one was the most complex to operate and control?

The easiest gambling racket?...The hardest gambling racket?

A) horse-race bookmaking
B) sports bookmaking
C) policy numbers
D) Italian lottery
E) Cuban Bolita’
F) Treasury Balance tickets
G) floating crap games
H) card games (blackjack, poker, etc)
I) casino games (baccarat, roulette, keno, bingo, wheels, etc)
J) slot machines - 'one-armed bandits'
K) football pool tickets
L) other ?

I would think floating crap games would be the hardest because of all the logistics involved. Slot machines/casino games/card games seem like the easiest. IMO

From some personal experience, sports betting is the easiest. Floating crab games would be pretty difficult.

Thanks for your perspective BT.

You're putting up very little or no money at all for card games and then you're getting a piece from all winnings and the games can be held anywhere. It's the easiest by far.

That line of thinking has some merit to it. Card games are steady, and easy enough to run. Especially is you're NOT acting as the 'house' where you bankroll the games, but rather (like many crews do,) just cut their 5% rake from each pot/hand dealt.

IMHE...Casino games, especially Roulette, is the most difficult to make a "score" in Casinos.
At least the Casinos on RT.30 in West Virginia and in The All American Club, Campbell OH.

During the 90's there were some street hoodlums from my area and few of them were quite feared, even by the local organized crime individuals and also the cops. So they would enter some casino, and the security guys were usually shaking in their boots and werent able to lift a finger....and so these guys placed some money on the roulette and then 3 or 4 guys would've lifted the whole table and when the ball shoots out, it didnt go round or in a circle but instead, it would fly in a straight line and hit the wooden or glass wall of the roulette and quickly land on some number, at least 10 seconds BEFORE the electronic voice said "no more bets". And then obviously they would hit the button of that same number more than a dozen of times and walk out with their cash lol.

I dont know much about gambling (and I dont want to) but I heard stories that Blackjack is allegedly the only game in which you have chances in winning and finding out the combinations. Not online or on some machine, but on a table with cards.

For me, if you're just a 'runner,' bookmaking is easy enough. Especially back in the old days you had to pick one out of nine horse in a race. (despite some of the odds horses paid if they won, it was still a score for bookies).

Also very solid were Treasury Balance tickets, and slot machines (whether the old one-arm bandits, or the new push button video styles)

All three of these rackets were so simple to operate.
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Runners still needed a solid, financially secure office they could count on.
Treasury balance tickets were a no brainer so long as you have a good distribution network
slot machines were great, so long as you have a good solid mechanic who could repair the machines, place them, etc.

Both Casinos I mentioned were the Pittsburgh LCN run and they feared no one - period, even the law.

My understanding is that Black Jack can be the best to play if you know how to play.
If the last player behind the dealer is the best player, it's even better.

Lol and I agree. Years later after I heard that same information, I read some book on Lansky and so he also allegedly said something similar about blackjack. And I was like "wow, those guys were right!" lol

As far as card games go I've heard the same thing. Although, I've also heard, that if you know what you're doing, Baccarat (chemin de fer), is also most favorable to the player.

But, overall, 'craps' or dice offer the best odds for the player (once again, providing that you really know the game and also know how to move your money around the crap table.)

Yes, craps can be very good as long as you know what you're doing.
One of the operators of the Jockey Club told me to always buy the "odds" on either The #4 or the #10 as there is only two ways to make your number (3-1 or 2-2) for #4 and (6-4 or 5-5) for the #10 and both pay 5 to 1. Experience taught me that either one is not a bad play :-)

I believe that most casinos pay out rolling a #4 at 9/5. which means that for every $5 you bet, you'll get paid $9 from the croupier if your number four comes out. But I'm not all that familiar with the odds. I also think it depends on whether you're rolling the bones or just playing the field.

When these "Private" Casions wereup and running, a few decades ago, they paid 10 to 1.
Today's Vegas Casinos are paying 7 to 1. So how'bout we can it a "bunch"? :-)

Well, I guess its like anything else, bookmaking, the numbers, etc. Depending on 'the play' coming in, the bankroll, and the backers involved, they move the odds accordingly.

I remember back in the 1960s and 1970s, in NY, the old Harlem 'number' originally payed off at 650 to 1. Then it became 600 to 1. Then it went down to 550 to 1. Then it went back up again when there was more competition.

Bookies too for that matter! Once OTB came into existence, all our neighborhood bookmakers jacked up the payoffs to try and keep their customers playin' with them.