Though I have heard that people make a business out of begging, I didn't realize it was an operation. Now that you mention it, there's a couple of episodes from the show Shameless that is dedicated to this very thing, where Frank (the father of the children whose lives comprise the show) is a degenerate alcoholic, drug addict, etc. who is also intelligent and finds all kinds of ways to scam the system. Including taking over a house that's for sale and turning it into a homeless shelter, where he then 'employs' these people to beg, giving them corners to work, then taking the money at the end of the day to 'use for the betterment of the entire household' where he pockets a percentage.