{"id":167262,"date":"2021-03-14T15:25:44","date_gmt":"2021-03-14T22:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=167262"},"modified":"2021-03-14T16:11:42","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T23:11:42","slug":"italian-crackdown-on-illegal-gambling-targets-crime-syndicates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/italian-crackdown-on-illegal-gambling-targets-crime-syndicates\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Targets Crime Syndicates\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italian authorities have seized more than $95.8 million USD in a crackdown on illegal gambling linked to organized crime, according to published accounts this month.<\/p>\n

\"Online
A person using a laptop places bets online in this illustration. Italian authorities have launched an investigation into illegal online gambling. (Image: South EU Summit<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In an investigation dubbed Operation Double Game, restriction orders have been placed against 23 people tied to Sicily\u2019s Cosa Nostra. This is in addition to the millions of dollars that authorities have confiscated, according to journalist Alessandro Ford. The story is on the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project<\/em><\/a> website.<\/p>\n

Of the 23 people facing restrictions, 12 are in pre-trial detention in prison, two are undergoing house arrest, and nine are prohibited from participating in commercial activity, according to ANSA, an Italian news service. The suspects are accused of \u201cabusive gambling and betting, tax evasion, aggravated fraud\u201d and more, the OCCRP <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n

Overall, the investigation is targeting 336 people in a probe ranging from Sicily to Malta.<\/p>\n

Mafia Money Laundered in Europe\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The investigation is focusing on the Santapaola-Ercolano Mafia faction in Catania, a province in eastern Sicily. According to the OCCRP<\/em>, this \u201ccriminal consortium\u201d is operating RaiseBet24.com, a sports betting website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The site is not authorized to operate in Italy, but is active on servers in Malta, a small European Union nation in the Mediterranean between Sicily and North Africa. The betting site has been under intense media scrutiny recently, including a March 13 news story by reporter Will Nicoll on the Forbes<\/i> website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People placing bets on the gambling site in Italy were encouraged to use cash instead of other payment forms, such as credit cards, the OCCRP <\/em>reported.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Underworld syndicates<\/a> took the cash collected this way and laundered it by buying buildings and companies in Italy, Germany, and Poland, according to published reports.<\/p>\n

The OCCRP<\/em> reported that this is a \u201ccommon modus operandi\u201d for Italian Mafia operators.<\/p>\n

Sergio Nazzaro, a journalist and adviser to the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, told the OCCRP<\/em> that this corrupt network has an extensive reach.<\/p>\n

\n

We see money moving also in Poland and Germany, so maybe this criminal infiltration is no longer just a problem for Malta, but for all of Europe,\u201d Nazzaro said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is one of several investigations in recent years into illegal online gambling networks.<\/p>\n

The syndicates investigated over the past few years include the ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria, the Neapolitan Camorra, and the Pugliese Sacra Corona Unita. Romanian and Chinese crime organizations also have been suspected of online gambling violations, the OCCRP<\/em> reported<\/p>\n

Maxi-Trial Underway in Italy<\/h2>\n

The ‘Ndrangheta has been in the media spotlight this year with a massive trial underway in Italy<\/a> involving 355 criminal suspects.<\/p>\n

The defendants are accused of murder, drug trafficking, loan sharking, and additional crimes. Public officials and law enforcement authorities are among the defendants. The trial is expected to last two years.<\/p>\n

\n

This \u201cmaxi-trial\u201d is taking place in a call center converted into a courtroom in Calabria, a region in the toe of Italy\u2019s boot. Calabria is considered the \u2019Ndrangheta\u2019s home territory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The \u2019Ndrangheta is thought to control 80 percent of the European cocaine supply. The crime syndicate\u2019s involvement in vice rackets also has included illegal gambling. In 2015, authorities conducted a sting targeting 1,500 ‘Ndrangheta betting shops and 82 online gambling sites, the Daily Mail<\/i>\u00a0reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Italian authorities have seized more than $95.8 million USD in a crackdown on illegal gambling linked to organized crime, according to published accounts this month. In an investigation dubbed Operation Double Game, restriction orders have been placed against 23 people tied to Sicily\u2019s Cosa Nostra. This is in addition to the millions of dollars that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":167264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nItalian Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Targets Crime Syndicates\u00a0 - Casino.org Italian Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Targets Crime Syndicates\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Italian authorities have seized more than $95.8 million USD in a crackdown on illegal gambling linked to organized crime, according to published accounts Italian authorities have confiscated millions of dollars in a crackdown on illegal gambling reaching from Sicily to Malta.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/italian-crackdown-on-illegal-gambling-targets-crime-syndicates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Italian Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Targets Crime Syndicates\u00a0 - 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