"" Gambling is one of these illicit services that are in great demand. Previous to the development of major professional sports leagues, the majority of professional sport franchises were positioned in Northeastern and Midwestern American cities. Organized crime originated in the boroughs of these highly populated cities (New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and Boston), and organized crime bosses recognized a desire among the fans and people who loved athletic events for gambling (Whelan, 1992). Part of the allure of sports betting for the casual fan is in the excitement generated in backing the local or regional team. With so many cities now having franchises, virtually every well-populated region has a team they can root for and bet on. The same thing can hold true for universities and colleges around the nation. There are schools with athletic programs in virtually every corner of this country. Communities, along with alumni, students, parents, and teachers follow their school's sports with great loyalty and affection. With a high percentage of athletes gambling on sports, major organized crime syndicates must be salivating like wolves amongst a valley full of sheep without a shepard in sight. Young athletes who are away from home and supervision of their parents tend to emulate these sheep. There is no more vulnerable person in the world of sports than the college athlete. If organized crime senses an opportunity to make money on a college campus, it can be there overnight. Most student bookies, even if they don't know it, are working for organized crime. Several steps removed, out of sight, organized crime collects money from student bookies and allows them to exist. There is one thing that organized crime is interested in above all: money. The student athlete's appeal to higher loyalties, in this case money, is a technique of neutralization employed by these athletes to justify their involvement in gambling and eventually sports bribery.
