Italian police seize over 20 million euros associated with Malta gambling company

Italian police have seized over Euro 20 million following investigations into an organised crime illegal gambling ring linked to Malta company Centurionbet, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reported this week.

Centurionbet has been accused by prosecutors of entering into a commercial relationship with a company controlled by Italian organised crime figures, and that it was aware of the illicit activities and rewards resulting from the expansion of its network of gaming halls in the Crotone area of Italy.

Francesco Martiradonna, the suspected owner of Centurionbet, has been arrested after a two year investigation but denies illegal activity and will fight the accusations in the Italian courts next month.

Following a series of related arrests, Centurionbet’s gaming sites were shut down, but prior to that hundreds of its betting shops operated in Italy, despite not having the required authorisation from the national regulator, investigators claim, alleging that in just two years the company generated over Euro 150 million in player deposits and made annual profits of Euro 5 million.

Licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, Centurionbet could operate abroad but only as long as its local agencies simply provided access to the online platforms and did not carry out gambling transactions.

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