I thought that Bolita was a game of the past but that was naive of me considering the Hispanic population and influence in and around Palm Beach County. History does have a way of repeating itself and bad habits borne in a culture have a way of thriving.
Bolita is a game of chance played with balls and it is illegal. It was legal in Cuba up until the Cuban Revolution but first introduced to Florida in the 1880's. It was said that thousands of dollars in political bribes as well as bribes to law enforcement officials in Florida kept the game running out in the open. The mafia also figured prominently and consequently Florida attracted the Mob with more and more of them working and living in Miami and other parts of Florida, traveling to Cuba on a regular basis decades ago.
Bolita was the undoing of corrupt Judge Joseph Peel back in the 1950s. And it was eventually the reason why an honorable judge, Curtis Chillingworth, along with his wife were murdered. At the time, this was the trial of the century and it happened right here in Palm Beach County. To read more about this fascinating murder case involving Bolita, Click here.
Lake Worth continues to brag about its diversity but once again it has attracted criminals. This time they got caught in an illegal bolita sting and 21 arrests resulted in the PBSO and Lantana police investigation. Illegal bolita games were operating out of several businesses in Lake Worth, Lantana, Lake park, and West Palm Beach. It appears that most were arrested for LOTTERY-OPERATING - SET UP PROMOTE CONDUCT FOR MONEY with an Original Bond of $3,000.00 and booked on December 19th.
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