The Australian Gamble
Organized Crime Down Under
Zusammenfassung
The Australian Gamble explores Jack Rooklyn’s role as a thread that connects some of the best-recognized characters, and most pivotal events, in Australian criminal history. It is a story that begins overseas, with the origins of the Bally poker machine company — a scandal-prone business with a name that was fated to be forever linked with Rooklyn’s. From humble origins in Al Capone’s Chicago, Bally rode the amusement game wave to become one of the biggest players in the gaming industry worldwide … a status that made it an attractive target for takeover by America’s Italian Mafia. Run out of Cuba on the heels of Castro’s communist revolution, ‘The Families’ were looking for new opportunities to expand their gaming ambitions, both in the desert mecca Las Vegas and (more quietly) through clandestinely sinking their hooks into a financially struggling Bally.
Schlagworte
Mafia Chicago Gaming Industry True Crime Poker Entertainment industry New South Wales Quennsland Jack Rooklyn Australian crime Australian history Australian organized crime Bally Al Capone slot machines police corruption casinosKeywords
organized crime gambling- i–xxvi Preface i–xxvi
- 23–42 2 Rooklyn Rises 23–42
- 65–86 4 Ballyhoo 65–86
- 109–128 6 Reinvention 109–128
- 129–150 7 Shut Down the Pokies 129–150
- 151–172 8 Moonlight 151–172
- 173–188 Conclusion 173–188
- 189–220 Notes 189–220
- 221–232 Index 221–232
- 233–234 About the Author 233–234