Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYPD Stomps Out The Madness
By
tien mao
Published Mar 27, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
tien mao
Published Mar 27, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Everybody is getting screwed this year during March Madness! If you thought your brackets getting screwed left and right was bad, how bad would it suck to be one of the people busted Saturday by the NYPD at the height of gambling season. The NYPD raided a $45 million gambling ring with several locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens according to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes. The raids led to the arrests of 10 people and the seizure of $300,000. The DA said a location in Chinatown was responsible for $14 million a year alone. The gambling ring was allegedly run by a Fukenese gang as a front for the Gambino crime family. Is it not time for the Chinese to step it up and run their own gambling rings? One of the Chinese men scoffed at the classification that they were Fukenese, insisting that he was Cantonese.
During the press conference, OTB representatives said that sports betting should be legalized like horse gambling has. While OTB has certainly brought money in for schools, Gothamist isn't sure we would ever like to take a step into our local OTB. It's a little too sad looking for us.
Out in Staten Island, there's an even bigger prize to be won at Jody's Club Forest. The bar has been running an NCAA Tournament pool since 1977 that costs $10 to enter. This year, $1.5 million is at stake as 150,000 entries were received. Entrants pick one "line", which includes the final four teams, the winner, and the score of the final game. The Staten Island Advance reports that it's rare that one person wins all the money, but it's usually split towards the end. Despite all the upsets so far in the tournament, 10,000 people still have a chance according to Fox 5. The big shock of the pool is that it's all legal - with the bar not taking a percentage of the bets. Gothamist hears that it's "customary" to tip the bar though.
Ass-shot of NYPD breaking down door from CBS2
Tagged
bar
breaking
brooklyn
brooklyn district attorney
Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes
charles hynes
Chinatown
chinese
club
crime
District
district attorney
fox
gothamist
manhattan
March Madness
money
NCAA
ncaa tournament
News: NYC
nypd
people
queens
running
schools
sports
staten island
Staten Island Advance
The DA
The NYPD
The Staten Island
The Staten Island Advance
tien mao
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
Prosecutors say the 22-year-old damaged property outside the Fresh Meadows shop twice in May.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:07 p.m. ET
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
News
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
In some cases, the damage was “clearly not recent."
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
By
Caroline Lewis
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .