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spreads to regulate the flow
of money on each side of the action, and if they were still heavily
unbalanced, the casino placed the excess money as a bet in another
sports book. The gang was a microcosm of Las Vegas. They routinely
gathered in the bets, and usually laid off the unbalanced bets.
Boring yes, but it was a very profitable (10%) with no risk.
    The high school betting operation developed by Bobby
G. was founded on the same principles; trying to balance off the
bets. However, Las Vegas did not accept bets on high school games.
Bobby G. had to formulate the odds for every game. He was well
informed and did his homework every year. First, he developed
on-going relationships with many local area coaches, grade school
through twelfth grade as well as travelling basketball managers. In
addition, Bobby G. was a regular at various gyms in the summer
time, checking out the incoming freshman talent, gathering
information, finding out which teams were improving and spreading
the word to wealthy suburban parents who loved to bet on their
sons’ teams and occasionally betting pro and college games as well.
He dubbed these people “homers” because most of them overestimated
their local teams’ capabilities and bet like chumps. Homers made
Bobby’s sports betting operation more profitable because he offered
a betting line way out of whack – enough that he sometimes did not
even try to balance the bets. Other gangs with truces often would
accept the other side of these high school bets if Bobby G.
offered. They realized that tilted Bobby G.’s bets were stacked
against the homers. Whether he laid-off the other side of the
homers bets to lock in 10% or if his gang accepted the entire risk
on a particular game, Bobby G.’s record of accomplishment had
proven correct approximately 80% of the time. The gang’s upper
echelon was very happy with his contribution to the gang’s bottom
line.
    Bobby G. accidentally stumbled on another way to
earn income, which he secretively kept to himself. Because he had
ingratiated himself with many local coaches and had a working
knowledge of the associated high school teams, college recruiters
sought out his contacts and player analysis. He parlayed this
scouting function to work bilaterally. Coaches would pay him for
this information, and equally important, parents would compensate
him for advocating for their athlete. Bobby G. personally kept all
the money he earned in his role as a basketball scout or street
agent.
    ***
    Unexpectedly, the violent crime task force began
arresting the veteranos and other higher echelons of the gang en
masse. Clearly, an informant infiltrated the gang. Bobby G.
wondered when they would come for him. Gang members on the street
were in complete disarray. The “Don” tried to issue orders from
inside the Joliet Correctional Facility, but every time he
contacted someone, the police busted him. The investigation focused
on the big three: prostitution, extortion and drug dealing. Bobby
G. waited and waited, and finally became convinced that either he
was not a target of the investigation or if the task force knew
about him, they considered illegal gambling a low priority issue.
Strangely enough, Bobby G. was able to drop the gang flag without having to ask permission or court out because his
gang no longer existed except behind bars.
    Bobby G. thought about his options: join a different
gang and risk retribution if his new alliance was discovered, or
remain neutral by staying in business by himself. He decided to
focus on high school betting to fly under the radar of the
remaining gangs who preferred taking bets on pro and college games.
He was the sole person in Chicagoland who accepted high school bets
– no threats to anyone. In fact, the other gangs would become
excellent clients of his operation. His business plan was
simple:

    1) continue to extensively research the local
players and teams

    2) set betting lines to disadvantage the homers,
favoring the