In the modern age, casino action is increasingly legal, regulated, and fully above-board.

That’s right – the days of mob-controlled Las Vegas gambling action are long gone.

In fact, with more and more regions allowing for some form of wagers, the legalization of gambling seems like an unstoppable worldwide trend.

Until that dream becomes a reality, though, illegal gambling will continue to be a fact of life. And with that fact come some incredible stories.

While many of today’s top casino brands fight to keep their business (and reputations) clean, other individuals and groups fight to break the law, and make as much money as possible before they are caught!

Here are some of the most incredible stories of illegal gambling rings.

There’s a longstanding debate in public policy circles: is it better to legalize and regulate “sin” activities, such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, unhealthful foods, and gambling? Or should these things be outlawed outright?

Both sides of the debate have merits. When activities are legal, they can be regulated, overseen, and taxed for the public good, rather than to the profit of organized crime.

On the other hand, if an action or habit is bad for society at large, why should it be allowed to take root? Why not ban it outright?

(The United States’ government attempts to outlaw the sale and consumption of alcohol in the 1930s serve as a powerful example of what can go wrong when outright prohibition becomes the law of the land.)

Most modern, Western governments take the former approach in their public policy. South Korea (officially named The Republic of Korea), however, goes the other way. Specifically, all gambling activities are banned: sportsbook, lotteries, private gambling parlors: all of it is illegal, except for gambling opportunities in major cities reserved for tourists only, and the remote, abandoned mining district of Gangwon, 150 miles from Seoul.

So is gambling eradicated in South Korea, or has casino action gone underground?

Well, in 2016, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency wrapped up a five year investigation and revealed that, to put things very mildly, there had some level of illegal gambling activity taking place.

How much?

How about $12 m in bets and wagers per day?

You read that right. When the ring was shut down in 2016, it was said to have accounted for 70% of all illegal gambling in Seoul, with a clientele of small players cared for by one single main organizer, Yoon, along with his assistant and a sizable support staff (72 individuals were charged in the investigation).

Still, it’s worth noting that this gambling group took exceptional care of their customers. It’s said that bettors who took a big loss would be treated to a free cab ride home!

Also in 2016, a group of four New York and California men were arrested on charges of running an astronomically large gambling ring.

Together with employees in Costa Rica, these gents had been running an online gambling ring that accepted  Min bets during just one football season!

Their business model is difficult to find fault with. They used several password-protected websites that allowed customers to enter their own bets using pre-determined combinations of words and numbers. There was even a telephone hotline for placing bets!

Whoever said crime doesn’t pay clearly never met Gordon Mitchnick, the gang’s alleged ringleader… he was accused of buying more than 20 properties in Brooklyn, just to launder his money. That’s a lot of scratch!

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For those in the know, the name Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal rings out clearer than a bell.

The inspiration for Robert DeNiro’s character of Sam “Ace” Rothstein in the 1995 classic film Casino, Rosenthal was one of the biggest and baddest names in sports betting over a nearly six-decade span.

He got his start as a so-called “handicapper” in the world of 1950s Chicago sports betting. From setting odds to bribing players and umpires, he became wildly successful in the mafia-run world of sportsbook – he worked with the infamous Chicago Outfit, of Al Capone infamy, making a tremendous amount of money for some very dangerous people. Eventually, he had to flee to Florida to dodge serious charges from the State of Illinois.

Not that this curbed his gambling activities in any way!

In fact, his (in)famous status led to a summons before the U.S. Senate subcommittee on Gambling and Organized Crime in 1961… where he invoked the 5th Amendment a very impressive 37 times. “Lefty” even refused to admit whether or not he was left-handed. He was never charged.

Rosenthal relocated to Las Vegas in 1968. There, he enjoyed unbelievable success running the Stardust, Fremont, Marina, and Hacienda Casinos… all without proper paperwork.

At the Stardust, he created the first sports book to operate within a major Las Vegas casino, which made it a global destination for sports gambling. At the same casino, he led an industry trend of hiring far more women blackjack dealers – these moves helped to double the Stardust’s income in just one year!

A man like Rosenthal doesn’t succeed without making enemies, however… indeed, in 1982 he miraculously survived a bomb that detonated in his car. No one was ever charged in this attack, but such was the nature of his business relationships that no fewer than four parties were suspected.

The icon left Las Vegas some six months later, in semi-voluntary retirement, moving to California to focus on raising his children. He was blacklisted in 1987, legally forbidden from entering any casino in Nevada.

After what can be called a full life by just about any measure, Rosenthal died of a heart attack in 2008, at the age of 79.

Only then was it revealed that “Lefty” had been playing both sides, having been a top echelon informant for the FBI for many years. In a way, this is the most impressive element of all – he took precautions, knowing better than anyone that that the house always wins.