EPISODE · Sep 7, 2026 · 10 MIN

When Legalization Became the Mafia’s Biggest Hitman

from A History of the American Mafia Podcast: Organized Crime, Mob Families, Bosses, Gangsters, Prohibition, Criminal Trials, and the Rise of La Cosa Nostra · host Podily & Josh Linsk

In this episode we trace how the 18th Amendment gave the mob an unchecked monopoly on booze and, once it was repealed, how new legal markets—taxed alcohol, state lotteries, regulated gambling—eaten into that monopoly, forcing families to pivot to smaller rackets or legitimate fronts. We dig into the economics, law‑enforcement shifts, and cultural myths that turned a bootleg empire into an adaptive underworld. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 7, 2026

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When Legalization Became the Mafia’s Biggest Hitman

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This episode was published on September 7, 2026.

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