In life and in lore, Mafia and casinos are inextricably linked. It makes sense: Odds are designed to be on the side of the house, regulators are paying less attention than they might be in other industries, and the Mafia has the muscle to make the sometimes-volatile gambling business run somewhat smoothly. The majority of the members of the Mafia were arrested and charged, mostly for tax evasion, and faced the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in jail. Online casino gaming. Las Vegas still carries on with its gambling legacy as it's the hub of some of the world's best online casinos that can.
COVID-19 impact on the mob
The New York Mafia has lost out on tens of millions of dollars in illegal gambling revenue as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Chief lawmakers Rudy Giuliani and Bobby Kennedy have for many years tried to shut down the mob's illegal operations. Now it seems that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been the most effective tool in doing so.
Widespread cancellations
As a result of the pandemic, most major sporting events across the world have been postponed or canceled. Les deux alpes france. The likes of March Madness is one of the most lucrative events for sportsbooks.
According to law enforcement sources who have spoken to the New York Post, this loss of revenue is a 'historic blow to the mob.' A source said:
There's never been a time when they weren't making money through gambling.'
Initially, it appeared that illegal gambling could continue in a similar fashion while social distancing was in place thanks to online sites. However, it didn't take long for the major sports leagues and organizations to announce mass cancellations.
Other revenue sources suffering
The New York Mafia has also saw other sources of revenue dry up due to COVID-19. It can no longer extort restaurants in the city, as only delivery options are now allowable. All non-essential construction projects have also been shut down by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
A law enforcement source spoke about how important construction rackets are to the mob because they are involved directly in construction, as well as in the ports and trucking.
Ongoing sports betting uncertainty
The future now looks uncertain regarding this pandemic. Shutdowns and cancellations are set to continue for the foreseeable future as governments across the world try to contain the deadly virus.
Many sports betting operators are turning to the likes of virtual sports and esports to generate some revenue. However, the share prices of many legal sports betting companies have been decimated, with many of them cutting dividends and issuing profit warnings.
State of affairs in New York
Many sports betting operators are turning to the likes of virtual sports and esports to generate some revenue. However, the share prices of many legal sports betting companies have been decimated, with many of them cutting dividends and issuing profit warnings.
State of affairs in New York
New York has been the state most heavily affected in the US so far. With such a large population squeezed into a relatively tight area, this does not bode well for containing the virus.
Tens of thousands of cases have been confirmed in New York, with more than 1,000 losing their lives to date. With medical supplies starting to run out, it is a worrying time for the state.
Most student pastors are scrambling right now to try and come up with some ways to play games on Zoom, so today, I put some real thought into it.
Here are some of the top games you can play with your students during the Coronavirus pandemic that don't require you to be in the same room, but require you to be on the same Zoom. Best of luck, and Godspeed!
#1 BOX OF LIES
This game comes from Jimmy Fallon's late night show. (Here's a clip so you've got an idea of how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md4QnipNYqM
The Zoom modification is that each person who comes to your Zoom meeting would bring the 'weirdest' thing they can find in their house and keep it out of sight of their camera. Then, each person will take a turn describing their object (either lying or telling the truth – they decide). Everyone else holds up either a 'thumbs up' for telling the truth or a 'thumbs down' for lying. Then the person who was it shows their object, and you can keep points on how many people were right or wrong about the person lying or telling the truth.
#2 MAFIA
This game has always been a blast, and has never required us to be together, but it does need a few changes to use with Zoom. (If you've NEVER played, here are the general rules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=25&v=Wx7kz5LpAz4&feature=emb_logo) You will always have civilians, a mafia, a doctor, and a sheriff. In the Zoom modification, you will (as the host) randomly select students' roles either with an actual deck of cards, or with whatever method you choose. Then, you can privately message each student their role. Then, you play like normal. You can mute everyone so that there isn't any sound except for your voice, and then each student can privately message their answers to you (who the mafia wants to kill, who the doctor wants to save, who the sheriff accuses, and so on…). Then, when everyone wakes up, you can unmute them and let the fun begin!
#3 TRUE FACTS
This is simple simple! Everyone privately messages the host a secret fact about themselves, and then the host shares them one by one. Everyone then has to vote who they think it belongs to. See if your students can fool the others! This is great to learn about your group, but also for your kids to feel connected to each other.
#4 ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS
Of course this is super simple, and you can vary it in a million ways. Also, 'Gorilla, Man, Gun' is a great alternative to rock, paper, scissors. ('Gorilla beats the Man, Man beats the Gun, Gun beats Gorilla, if you tie, you die. 1, 2, 3, GO!') You could have students find a piece of paper, a rock, and some scissors to make this a little more interactive. Usually, Rock, Paper, Scissors is an intro game to something bigger, so keep that in mind. How would you make this game better? Let us know in the comments!
#5 PARTNERS IN PEN
Have everyone grab a piece of paper, and also some random object from their house. (Nothing too familiar, but something that is mildly obscure.) Then, each person takes a turn describing their hidden item while everyone else tries to draw it from their description they give. The person who is closest wins, and gets to describe their hidden item next.
#6 REVERSE CHARADES
One person is 'it' while everyone else acts out a word. You can get the word to the large group by privately messaging everyone individually, OR by writing it down and showing it on your screen while the person who is 'it' closes their eyes. Then, once they have guessed, you move to the next person. The way to make this competitive would be to time how long it takes each person individually to guess OR, put people onto teams. If team A's representative doesn't guess within a minute, then the turn switches to team B. If team A does guess before a minute is up, then their team gets to go again.
Free Online Mafia
#7 PICTIONARY
This requires you to use the drawing feature on Zoom, which also requires quite a bit of set up beforehand (or just whenever you have very few students in the Zoom meeting with you). Here's how to set this up on a computer: Go into your 'screen share' option at the bottom of Zoom, and select 'whiteboard' and 'share'. Then, when you've got your green bar with your ID, hover over it which will bring up a menu. Click on the three dots that say 'more' underneath it. Then, 'disable attendee annotation' so that no one else can draw. You can also 'show names of annotators' instead to allow others to still draw, but that you'll also know WHO is drawing WHAT. (Because #teenagers.) When I first played this, we played 'Bible Pictionary' and it was hilarious because of how difficult it is to draw on the whiteboard feature.
Michael Jordan Mafia Gambling
#8 HOME SCAVENGER HUNT
This is currently the most common way to engage your students on Zoom, while getting them up and moving. Pick a random list of things, and then whenever they arrive at Zoom, ask them to go and get each item (one at a time) and see who gets back with it first. Easy peasy.
Mafia Games Online
What ideas do you have for other Zoom games? Help others out by leaving your ideas in the comment section below! And keep on fighting the good fight. You're doing work that is tougher than ever right now, so keep pressing in.
