Illegal Online Gambling in Italy Under Scrutiny due to Mafia Ties

Online gambling in Italy can cause surprises even for the authorities, who have managed to broken up an illegal gambling business lately, arrested 11 people and seized all of their assets worth altogether 10 million EUR.

The main suspect named Luigi Tancredi, known as the ‘King of Slots’ supposedly had links to organized crime groups, such as the Italian Mafia.

As the prosecutor, Michele Prestipino said, the main suspect, Luigi Tancredi was accused of leading the criminal gang by installed poker screens in different bars and gambling rooms run by Italian mafias.

The online gambling business handled daily bets worth €11.5m and allegedly had ties to organized crime groups, moreover the ring controlled many online gaming and video lottery terminals throughout the country.

Tancredi and his fellow in crime, Fernia were previously the subjects of another investigation in 2013, in which Tancredi was accused of running 33 illegal online gambling sites, including Dollaro and Starpklive.

According to the report of Finance Police Colonel Allessandro Cavalli, it turned out that some mafia members observed online gambling in Italy proved to be more profitable than drug trafficking.

Online gambling in Italy underwent many serious regulations, and in order to qualify for an online gambling license, all operators should provide evidence that they meet financial, technical and social requirements. To be granted a license, the company has to manage games in Europe with a turnover of no less than EUR 1,500,000 in the last 2 years and to function at a high technical level, providing stable, secure and easy-to-use services.

As prosecutors said, Tancredi was the “indispensable link” between mafia groups and the world of information technology, because most of the venues, in which the machines were situated, were reportedly mafia-controlled.