Israeli police investigat illegal online gambling operation

In Israel, a special police criminal investigation unit, Lahav 433, is currently probing a mysterious and as yet unnamed online gambling ring which is alleged to have generated over NIS 57 million for its owners.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that this week the police subjected the 27-year-old scion of a wealthy Israeli family, Nochi Dankner, to a nine hour interrogation regarding his online poker playing activities on the website. Police also questioned several other suspected customers.

Dankner said he had no idea who was behind the site, or that playing poker online was illegal in Israel.

“Dankner was questioned as part of a broader investigation into illegal gambling,” Haaretz reports.

“On Monday, police arrested Uri Luzon – who is thought to be the number-two man in the criminal organisation headed by Amir Mulner – along with 19 other suspected members of Mulner’s organisation, which police believe was behind the illegal website. An Israel Prison Service officer was also arrested, on suspicion of taking a bribe from some of the other suspects.”

Luzon was not short on chutzpah – he reportedly ran the internet gambling operation from his jail cell, where he is currently serving time for his role in a major drug smuggling operation known as the North Star case.

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