Outlaw motorcycle gangs as a revenue model: an economic explanation for expansion
In recent years, the Netherlands police have seized various financial records during criminal investigations into three outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs). An analysis of these records shows a relatively simple revenue model: the rank-and-file members serve as a cash cow, paying membership dues, fines,...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
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2025
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| In: |
Outlaw bikers as organized crime
Year: 2025, Pages: 166-188 |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | In recent years, the Netherlands police have seized various financial records during criminal investigations into three outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs). An analysis of these records shows a relatively simple revenue model: the rank-and-file members serve as a cash cow, paying membership dues, fines, and other associated expenses. The largest source of income for two of the three OMCGs appears to be the financial penalties imposed on those members forced to leave the club in ‘bad standing’. The collection of these fines may involve strong coercion or violence. No concrete information was found about money flows from drug trafficking or the systematic collection of protection money that benefits the clubs. This chapter also postulates that OMCGs engage in a form of franchising. Local chapters, but also support clubs, pay a monthly sum to their mother chapter in exchange for copying a proven OMCG formula or concept. The franchise principle can also help to explain the growth of chapters and new OMCGs (as well as brotherhoods and boxing clubs) in recent years. New branches provide financial advantages for the local leadership, while at the national level the mother chapter profits from the remittances. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 186-188 |
| ISBN: | 9781138490956 |
