Opponents of state-sanctioned casinos in Kansas found an unlikely ally Sunday in a former mob figure, who warned a packed church in Overland Park of the evils of gambling.
“Seven out of 10 Americans gamble on something on a daily basis,” Michael Franzese told hundreds of congregants at First Family Church, where he spoke about his life as a member of the Colombo crime family before finding religion. “It's now become our national pastime.”
At two services Sunday, the mobster-turned-evangelizer described gambling as one of the nation's fastest growing addictions. Franzese said statistics showed that a few years after a casino comes to a community, “crime rates start to rise, the incidence of pathological gamblers starts to rise, problem gamblers start to arise.”
Franzese, a mob captain, quit the Mafia after he married a devout Christian, who persuaded him to renounce his criminal ways.
In 1986, Franzese was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy and tax-fraud charges and spent seven years in prison. Since then, Franzese has been a fixture on the church and athletic lecture circuits.
“Seven out of 10 Americans gamble on something on a daily basis,” Michael Franzese told hundreds of congregants at First Family Church, where he spoke about his life as a member of the Colombo crime family before finding religion. “It's now become our national pastime.”
At two services Sunday, the mobster-turned-evangelizer described gambling as one of the nation's fastest growing addictions. Franzese said statistics showed that a few years after a casino comes to a community, “crime rates start to rise, the incidence of pathological gamblers starts to rise, problem gamblers start to arise.”
Franzese, a mob captain, quit the Mafia after he married a devout Christian, who persuaded him to renounce his criminal ways.
In 1986, Franzese was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy and tax-fraud charges and spent seven years in prison. Since then, Franzese has been a fixture on the church and athletic lecture circuits.
