News video: PA casinos looking to ban Merlino

[phatmatress777]

People think merlino is a two bit thug but history has proven that theory wrong....


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[OlBlueEyesClub]

I don't know if people necessarily think he was a two bit thug, but he does have the reputation of a brokester. Of course, the source on most of these accusations is Big Ron Previte.

[Wiseguy]

I don't think Merlino has ever been a brokester himself. At least not since he's been boss as there's always been plenty of guys willing to kick up to him. It's more a case of him not being very sophisticated, though that extends to the Philly mob as a whole, it being basically a street operation that doesn't extend much beyond gambling at this point.

[Rocco]

By "they" you're referring to a fence crew headed by Frank Gambino, the only group of dopes Previte was able to get on tape...aside from Natale and Luisi.

JCB, they were never really into the unions down here, and that went out the door with Scarfo.

Is Frank Gambino dead?

[Rocco]

I don't think Merlino has ever been a brokester himself. At least not since he's been boss as there's always been plenty of guys willing to kick up to him. It's more a case of him not being very sophisticated, though that extends to the Philly mob as a whole, it being basically a street operation that doesn't extend much beyond gambling at this point.

Loan Sharking, Gambing, Dealing Coke that's really about it. NY mob has evolved into Healthcare Fraud, Stock Fraud, Mortgage Fraud etc. Philly kinda never really evolved the way NY has. Maybe because of all the internal strife or just lack of talent really. Even a small Family like the Decav's had evolved into other rackets like Stock fraud. Philly Mob's gambling rackets are small potatoes too. The NJ Luchese Crew took in 2.2billion in bets in 15months. Philly mob as a whole couldn't even touch that.

[Pogo The Clown]

Is Frank Gambino dead?

He died in 2012.


Pogo

[Wiseguy]

Merlino banned

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160 ... sinos.html

[phatmatress777]

I don't think Merlino has ever been a brokester himself. At least not since he's been boss as there's always been plenty of guys willing to kick up to him. It's more a case of him not being very sophisticated, though that extends to the Philly mob as a whole, it being basically a street operation that doesn't extend much beyond gambling at this point.

Loan Sharking, Gambing, Dealing Coke that's really about it. NY mob has evolved into Healthcare Fraud, Stock Fraud, Mortgage Fraud etc. Philly kinda never really evolved the way NY has. Maybe because of all the internal strife or just lack of talent really. Even a small Family like the Decav's had evolved into other rackets like Stock fraud. Philly Mob's gambling rackets are small potatoes too. The NJ Luchese Crew took in 2.2billion in bets in 15months. Philly mob as a whole couldn't even touch that.

Ligambi video poker machines were taking in over a billion a year... There's more to Phillys rackets then what you have claimed here... People def aren't dealing coke in philly anymore it's deader then dead


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[Pogo The Clown]

Over a billion a year? More like a few million.


Pogo

[Rocco]

I don't think Merlino has ever been a brokester himself. At least not since he's been boss as there's always been plenty of guys willing to kick up to him. It's more a case of him not being very sophisticated, though that extends to the Philly mob as a whole, it being basically a street operation that doesn't extend much beyond gambling at this point.

Loan Sharking, Gambing, Dealing Coke that's really about it. NY mob has evolved into Healthcare Fraud, Stock Fraud, Mortgage Fraud etc. Philly kinda never really evolved the way NY has. Maybe because of all the internal strife or just lack of talent really. Even a small Family like the Decav's had evolved into other rackets like Stock fraud. Philly Mob's gambling rackets are small potatoes too. The NJ Luchese Crew took in 2.2billion in bets in 15months. Philly mob as a whole couldn't even touch that.

Ligambi video poker machines were taking in over a billion a year... There's more to Phillys rackets then what you have claimed here... People def aren't dealing coke in philly anymore it's deader then dead


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Ligambi video poker machines were taking in over a billion a year = Bullshit

[phatmatress777]

I'll find the source


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[PHL_Mob]

Haha do AC casinos even do a Billion a year? The testimony at Ligambi's trial said a machine takes in $500-$1000 a week that's $48,000 a year at the high end with a 100 machines being just under $5 Million

[Snakes]

Also, a good chunk of the 500-1000 dollars generated by those machines goes to bar owners.

[phatmatress777]

A lot of the time bar owners pay to have those machines in there... Perhaps I was wrong about the billon I thought they had a lot more machines like upwards in the thousands


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[JCB1977]

I don't think Merlino has ever been a brokester himself. At least not since he's been boss as there's always been plenty of guys willing to kick up to him. It's more a case of him not being very sophisticated, though that extends to the Philly mob as a whole, it being basically a street operation that doesn't extend much beyond gambling at this point.

Loan Sharking, Gambing, Dealing Coke that's really about it. NY mob has evolved into Healthcare Fraud, Stock Fraud, Mortgage Fraud etc. Philly kinda never really evolved the way NY has. Maybe because of all the internal strife or just lack of talent really. Even a small Family like the Decav's had evolved into other rackets like Stock fraud. Philly Mob's gambling rackets are small potatoes too. The NJ Luchese Crew took in 2.2billion in bets in 15months. Philly mob as a whole couldn't even touch that.

Ligambi video poker machines were taking in over a billion a year... There's more to Phillys rackets then what you have claimed here... People def aren't dealing coke in philly anymore it's deader then dead


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That's total bullshit Phat. Who was your source for that information? NO WAY IN HELL his machines were ANYWHERE close to a billion per year. If the machines generated that type of money, no OC family would have to deal in any other rackets. The largest video poker ooperator in the state was John "Duffy" Conley out of Pittsburgh. He got all his machines from Pat Ferrucio at Liberty Vending in Canton, OH. Pat Ferrucio was known around the country as the video poker expert for the mafia as he designed most of the machines being used today. At his peak, he was making $15 million per year and that was with over 4000 machines. Ligambi didn't have anywhere near that number of machines. Here are some of the numbers from John Conley:

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 6778&hl=en

http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate ... duffy6.asp

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 6021&hl=en

https://www.thestreet.com/story/1049661 ... uilty.html

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/19 ... 9Gy5JgrKUk

http://wesb.com/video-poker-kingpin-charged-again/