Palermo police in further raids on betting shops

The online gambling hub of Malta hit the headlines in Italy again this week following further police anti-mafia gambling raids in the Palermo region which allegedly uncovered links between internet cafe-style betting shops and websites hosted on the Mediterranean island.

In a police operation appropriately dubbed “Game Over” hundreds of police officers raided 700 premises across Palermo, arresting 23 persons on allegations of organised crime links and illegal gambling activity, shuttering shops, seizing assets worth millions of Euros and freezing bank accounts.

Among those arrested was alleged kingpin Benedetto Bacchi who reportedly controls a large number of illegal betting shops that link to Malta-licensed online gambling websites such as B2875, Bsport24.com and B28sport.com, all connected with Phoenix International Ltd in Malta.

Italian police are investigating a slew of charges against Bacchi and others, including organised crime association, money laundering, illegal transfer of financial assets, fraud and drug trafficking.

The new cases and attendant publicity are likely to be embarrassing for Malta and the Malta Gaming Authority, which has had to weather similar high profile Italian criminal gambling cases allegedly linked to the island in recent years.

Our readers may remember the MediaLive associated arrests last year and, going a little further back, the Betuniq issue.