Italy nabs online gambling mafia crew

The Italian police have arrested 68 men in connection with the running of massive online betting racket after an international combing operation, which involved more than 800 police personnel. The police seised assets worth more than €1bn. The mafia’s operation was spread over 12 countries.

The groups arrested had been making deals with businesses in the online betting world, providing them with facilities to recycle large quantities of money through illegal parallel circuits on betting platforms in exchange for promotion and protection.

Some of those who had been arrested own Rolex watches and Ferraris and used to eat in posh restaurants and indulge in gambling in Las Vegas.

Federico Cafiero de Raho, the Police Unit’s Head, commented: “We can see from ongoing investigations how the mafias work together in different sectors. We still need to establish whether there is a fixed leadership or if the deals change depending on the territories involved.”

Goods and cash were apprehended in Albania, Austria, Great Britain, Germany, the Isle of Man, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Serbia, the Seychelles and Switzerland.