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All bets are off in this Chinatown park.

City officials busted up an outdoor “casino” in Lower Manhattan’s Columbus Park over the weekend — just as The Post revealed the illegal big-bucks card games going on there.

The open-air gaming — which drew in hundreds of middle-aged and elderly bettors at a time — was dismantled by the NYPD and the city’s Parks Department on Saturday afternoon.

Photos show a cop taking down one of the tents, and parks employees tossing other pop-up tents and umbrellas into the trash.

Post reporters spent days checking out the illegal operation, ironically set up behind state and federal courthouses.

Seven summonses were doled out by cops, and Parks Department workers cited another six people, a police rep said.


  New York City cops dismantle tents and drive gamblers out of Columbus Park in Manhattan on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Karlin Chan New York City cops dismantle tents and drive gamblers out of Columbus Park in Manhattan on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Karlin Chan

The NYPD representative added that the local police precinct had its community-affairs officer “conduct outreach” in the park with Chinese-speaking reps at the New York Council on Problem Gambling event Oct. 8.

Cops were out at the park again Monday for “additional outreach,” the police rep said.

Gambling in city parks is illegal and comes with a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct if busted.


  Card dealers pick up $100 bills after a round of gambling at Columbus Park in the Chinatown section of Manhattan before the clean-up. New York Post Card dealers pick up $100 bills after a round of gambling at Columbus Park in the Chinatown section of Manhattan before the clean-up. New York Post

  The NYPD sprung into action as The Post reported on the open-air casino in Columbus Park. Karlin Chan The NYPD sprung into action as The Post reported on the open-air casino in Columbus Park. Karlin Chan

The Sun Yat-sen plaza in the park, named for the first president of China, was known to be taken over by dealers early in the morning. Chain-smoking players placed big bets in games such as gai-gow poker or Chinese blackjack.

But Tuesday morning, there were no signs of the bustling mini Atlantic City. One couple was spotted doing tai chai in the park, while some elderly park-goers sipped coffee and a scattered few homeless slept on park benches.

Gone were the tents and card games that dealers were known to set up on their tables with casino-like green felt. By around noon, a few games of backgammon were being played, but no money was seen exchanging hands.

A city Parks crew armed with brooms and trash cans also was spotted sweeping up leaves.

-Additional reporting by Rich Calder

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