Illegal numbers would never reach 5% of the revenue of legal state lotteries. Probably not even 1%. Plenty of law-abiding people with little or no connection to

Illegal numbers would never reach 5% of the revenue of legal state lotteries. Probably not even 1%. Plenty of law-abiding people with little or no connection to any underworld activity are nevertheless bombarded with legal state-run lottery ads out in the open and available to play at the grocery or convenience store they visit frequently, even daily -- illegal games wouldn't have ads, wouldn't be at 7-11, drawings wouldn't be televised. Further, all numbers games are low-stakes... there is no crime syndicate which could ever afford to run a Powerball or MegaMillions game with 9-figure prizes. Even 6-digit prizes wouldn't be affordable, even if it was, who would ever trust an underground game with that kind of money?