Nobody knows for certain if in fact Joey was boss all along, a plausible argument could be made for each assumption. Plus, Uncle Joe had two major RICO trials to pay for...did he cut into the take? Was Merlino's wife a lavish spender? There are so many variables that not one person here could accurately estimate because none of us know the exact figure of what these guys were making weekly. I made a statement based on a hypothesis to strike up some other opinions, so thank you all for adding to the thread. And PB, I agree, in the older days bosses in the can got their cut, but these guys today don't respect anything. And to whoever said the mob in Philly will always own gambling, you couldn't be more wrong. They may own gambling in the neighborhoods close to Passyunk and have some bookmakers out in the suburbs, but more citizens in greater Philly gamble in casinos, state lottery and through internet sites like Bodog. The mob has a small sector of the gamblers, their gambling proceeds were way more profitable in the old days...plus the job economy is bad, so many of your gamblers who have control of their vice are tightening the belt. The mob in Philly probably have bigger sports books, but the state lottery, scratch off tickets and local casinos easily have the lions share of gamblers.