Campus Reporter

Former New York City gangster Michael Franzese spoke to University of Wisconsin athletes Wednesday and coaches Thursday, warning them of the dangers of gambling on collegiate sports.

Although Franzese’s life sounds much like an episode of The Sopranos (he even admitted, “I put guys in hospitals”), he never glorified his life as he recounted it, stating many times that he was ashamed of the things he had done.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Franzese followed in the footsteps of his father and became a member of the infamous Columbo crime family. Franzese quickly moved up in the ranks by making enormous amounts of money for the family through a high-profile bookmaking ring.

Through the ring, Franzese estimated that he made, “several million dollars in one weekend, without a doubt.”

Franzese noted that athletes possess a competitive nature that makes them twice as likely to become problem gamblers in college. He also said many college athletes do not understand NCAA rules which place a strict prohibition on any gambling.

Head football coach and ascendant UW athletic director Barry Alvarez said knowledge gambling rules is the key to preventing betting in college.

“I think gambling is a problem on all campuses,” Alvarez said. “What we try to do is educate our players, to allow them to know where a seemingly innocent wager can lead.”

The prevalence of gambling over the Internet appears to be contributing to the problem. Franzese stated that in 1997 there were only 25 websites devoted to sports gambling and today there are over 1,800, and he promised that most of these sites had ties to organized crime.

It’s those ties which are most troublesome to college coaches concerned with their athletes safety, because almost all forms of gambling are tied to organized crime.

Franzese said he had first-hand knowledge of the gambling problem facing college athletics, as he had preyed on student-athletes just a few years ago.

“All I needed was one college athlete on my side taking money from me to affect the outcome of a game, and I got myself a tremendous weekend,” Franzese said.

Franzese and his syndicate usually targeted those who would not be able to make money playing sports professionally after college.

“If the game was on the line and we told him to not catch the pass, he better not catch the pass,” Franzese said.

If the athlete complied, they promised him $10,000 in his pocket by the next day, or even a new car. Franzese said that it takes an incredibly strong-willed person to refuse a proposal like that.

“College athletes are so vulnerable, such easy marks, such easy targets. We made them targets and used them in our gambling operations,” Franzese said.

Alvarez noted that is why they bring Michael Franzese in, “to warn the players about things like this.”

Franzese warned coaches and athletes that inevitably everyone involved in these betting rings gets caught, and the risks are not worth it.

“Gambling is the worst addiction. Worse than any drug or alcohol addiction that I have ever seen,” Franzese said. “I got a second chance. I don’t know anyone else who did. Most of those guys who I used to work with are dead, and not from natural causes.”

Franzese survived numerous grand jury appearances before finally being convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. After getting out of prison, with the help of his wife, whom he met while producing a movie in Los Angeles, Franzese decided to turn his life around. He started out on the lecture circuit six years ago after many professional sports organizations asked him to speak to their players about the high risks of gambling.