They don't control the entire game, or even the entirety of the area in which they operate, but they are likely the biggest and most powerful entity in the game.
Yeah the cartels are really really powerful. The political landscape is actually "the game" for many pilots.
Many smaller orgs long for further reductions of the meat-factory alliances. But you can't compete with economies of scale and the clout they have with the devs/management.
The goons are currently on a power upswing, having been without any influence for a while.
Weren't the goons the ones betrayed and stolen from when there was a large ship released? I remember reading an article about this big backroom-deal betrayal but I forget who the actors were.