Professional 'Stooper' Profiled

Published: December 8, 2009 02:36 pm EST

Thanks to an article today by The New York Times, if you didn't know anything about legendary New York Off-Track Betting 'stooper' Jesus Leonardo, a man that makes a decent living off discarded wagering tickets, you do now

.

The New York Times article tells the story of Leonardo, a 57-year-old married father of two teenagers that estimates that he has cashed $500,000 worth of discarded wagering tickets at New York OTBs without placing a single wager.

The article states that Leonardo spends 10 hours a day running tickets through a scanner and that he can cash up to $100 to $300 a day, and more than $45,000 a year.

“This has become my job, my life,” the report quotes Leonardo -- regarded as 'the Secretariat of stoopers' -- as saying. “This is how I feed my family.”

Click here to the read The New York Times article in its entirety.

(With files from The New York Times)

Tags
Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.