A racket is an illegal business, usually run as part of organized crime. Engaging in a racket is called racketeering. Several forms of racket exist. The best-known is the protection racket, in which criminals demand money from businesses in exchange for the service of "protection" against crimes that the racketeers themselves instigate if unpaid. A second well known example is the numbers racket, a form of illegal lottery. The term racket comes from the Italian word ricatto (blackmail) and is al… (More on Racketeering)