Molly Bloom, who ran Molly’s Game, has revealed that she was blackmailed by the Italian mafia who wanted a slice of her action. In her latest interview she disclosed how a mobster put a gun in her mouth.
Molly’s Game is an incredible story of how Bloom put together high stakes poker games for A-list celebrities and the mega rich, but eventually the law came calling and she narrowly avoided a spell in prison.
At the peak of the operation, names such as Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire were frequent guests, contributing to more than $4 million profit per year, often more than $20,000 in a single night.
She received 1% to 5% of the profits, which with millions of dollars on the table amounted to a tidy sum.
“I’m not going to sentence you to prison”
Eventually, though, she found herself in front of a judge after admitting to taking rake form the games, thereby breaking the law.
She was extremely lucky to have held on to her freedom, only receiving probation instead of the 10 years in a federal prison that was on the table.
Molly Bloome explains:
“I get a judge that’s very disappointed with me, but ultimately a pretty reasonable guy who said, ‘listen, you were running poker games and it seems you’ve done a lot to change your life. I’m not going to sentence you to prison. It’s hard to adequately express to you how big that moment is.”
Molly Bloom Targeted by the Mafia
Given how much money was passing through this private game operation, it’s no surprise to hear that Molly Bloom meticulously vetted potential players, although some shady characters did slip through the net.
Several Russian-American businessmen with ties to the Russian mafia are known to have played, some of these already being involved in an illegal gambling ring and the largest insurance fraud scheme in New York’s history.
Possibly through this avenue, the Italian-American mafia caught wind of the operation and demanded a share of the profits.
The nastiness began with a phone call in which a mobster explained that she must hand over part of the profits, or else…
Not sensing any immediate danger, Bloom refused, leading to a visit from a mobster to her home which she will never forget.
“They sent this terrifying guy to my apartment that put a gun in my mouth, something that you just never forget, and he beat the hell outta me and took everything in my safe, including photographs, a couple things that I had from my grandmother.”
Luckily for Molly Bloom, this group of mobsters were arrested soon after this incident and that was the end of that matter.
- Get the best rakeback deals
- See the best poker promotions
- View the latest poker news
- Get the best No Deposit Poker Bonuses
- Benefit from the biggest poker bonus
- Watch more poker videos
- Calculate your rakeback with the rakeback calculator
- Watch the best Twitch Poker streamers
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly! Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, visit www.begambleaware.org
