Federal authorities say the Genovese crime family ran illegal poker games behind a Lynbrook, New York cafe from May 2012 until January 2026, blending coffee and ice cream service in the front with gambling operations in the back. The games reportedly attracted everyday residents of the suburban Long Island community, including gamblers chasing losses, people escaping their home lives, and those struggling with addiction. Similar operations were uncovered at Sal’s Shoe Repair Shop in Merrick, Long Island, where authorities say poker games were held three nights a week in the back rooms, and at the Central Calcio Italian Club, described as a legitimate community center that also served as a front for illegal gambling. Several men tied to the Genovese family—identified by nicknames like Joe Fish, Sal the Shoemaker, Joe Box, and Little Anthony—were charged in connection with organized crime activity but have been released on bail while fighting the allegations.
According to Tony Hernandez, a former New York City police officer who now runs the Corruption Connection YouTube channel, the mafia’s public image no longer matches its current operations. He explained that social clubs where the mob conducted business still host card games and Joker Poker machines, with winners exchanging winnings through bartenders rather than receiving payouts directly from machines. The mafia in New York is structured around the five families: the Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Bonanno, and Colombo organizations. Each operates under a hierarchical chain of command led by a boss, followed by underbosses, capos who manage groups of soldiers, and associates who work on behalf of the family without being official members.
Membership numbers have declined significantly from historical peaks. The Gambino family reportedly once had around 1,500 members, the Genovese around 1,000, and the Lucchese a few hundred. To prevent law enforcement infiltration and informants from penetrating their ranks, the families closed their books to new recruits. This shift toward secrecy pushed the mafia away from flashy violence and public rackets toward low-profile white-collar crime.
As Hernandez put it, they are no longer killing people but operating from the shadows and focusing on legitimized business ventures. Loan sharking remains a primary revenue stream. While a bank might offer a $10,000 personal loan at an 8% annual interest rate, the mafia typically charges around 10% weekly interest on the same amount. Missing a payment causes the debt to snowball quickly, with interest compounded on the growing balance.
Hernandez said borrowers are not always desperate people. He described a man with a bread delivery route who had contracts and purchase orders but could not secure a million-dollar loan from a bank due to his appearance and heavy Italian accent. After being denied, he turned to mob figures who knew him and his business and provided the money. Gambling remains one of the mafia’s most reliable and profitable operations.
High-stakes poker games are run discreetly through word of mouth and personal invitations, often inside bars, social clubs, and legitimate storefronts. In one significant case, New Jersey State Police broke up a mafia-run gambling ring across North Jersey after a two-year investigation. Thirty-nine people were charged, all either members of the Lucchese family or associates working on their behalf. The operation was led by boss George “Georgie Neck” Zappola, with a full structure of underbosses, capos, soldiers, and associates beneath him.
The gambling rooms operated out of the Cafe San Gennaro in Woodland Park, the Italian-American Soccer Club in Totowa, Garden Pinball in Paterson, and an unnamed restaurant in Garfield. The Lucchese family reportedly collected over $3 million from these operations. Among those arrested was Anand Shah, a Prospect Park Borough councilman who managed illegal poker games and oversaw an offshore online sportsbook while reporting to Lucchese leadership. Prosecutors alleged Shah used one of his Subway franchises to launder approximately $570,000 in gambling-related transactions.
He was not a made member of the family but served as an associate reporting to higher-ups. Corruption has also extended into law enforcement. In March 2025, a Brooklyn federal jury convicted Hector Rosario, a Nassau County Police Department detective, for conspiring with the Bonanno crime family. Prosecutors said Rosario received monthly payments of $1,000 to $1,500 in exchange for protecting Bonanno gambling operations on Long Island and Queens.
Rosario allegedly staged fake police raids at gambling dens run by the Genovese family, including Sal’s Shoe Shop and the Grand Cafe. The goal was not to shut them down but to scare off their regular gamblers, who would then shift to Bonanno-run games. He also tipped off fellow detectives about Genovese operations while steering enforcement away from the Bonannos. Hernandez described the relationship between police and the mob as intertwined, noting that it has always involved cooperation and that the mafia is embedded in the social fabric in ways that make it nearly impossible to eliminate.
Gamblers at these operations include neighborhood residents who cannot easily travel to Atlantic City or other legal venues, as well as compulsive gamblers who take out loans they cannot repay while chasing wins. Some accumulate debts exceeding $100,000 in gambling losses and interest. Once a gambler owes that much, the mafia reportedly views them as an asset rather than a client. The mob runs bets and operations through their names to keep the organization’s hands clean, gaining increasing control over the debtor’s life.
Some high-stakes gamblers prefer betting with the mob over legal casinos. Hernandez said he has seen games with around $50,000 on the table, though not at the six-figure to million-dollar level. He noted that major casinos have refused to pay out winning bets, citing examples of bettors who won hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions and were denied. With the mob, he said, payouts happen 99% of the time because failing to pay would damage their reputation, and gamblers trust that a handshake means more than fine print.
Legal casinos operate under federal, state, and local regulation with revenue-sharing arrangements that send profits to state budgets and corporate investors. The mafia, by contrast, historically reinvested its profits locally in restaurants, clubs, and delis owned by affiliated figures. Hernandez also argued the mob sometimes showed more restraint with problem gamblers, telling them they were not allowed to bet until they paid their debts, while legal casinos would allow customers to gamble until they lost everything. He acknowledged that some mob figures were ruthless, but said many recognized when a gambler was endangering their family.
While the mafia once maintained community order through fear and loyalty, handling disputes over rent, business conflicts, and domestic problems outside the courts, that era has largely passed. Today’s mob focuses on quiet profitability rather than street-level control. The five families remain active in New York City, operating through backroom gambling, loan sharking, and corruption that reaches into local government and law enforcement.
Though they no longer resemble the flashy mobsters of earlier generations, authorities say the organizations continue to function and profit.