Last week, the Italian justice seized $ 2.2 billion of property belonging to the Calabrian Mafia, 'Ndrangheta, which operates in the gambling and betting sector.
Indeed, the anti-mafia magistrates who were investigating on this group (operation "gambling") have sequestered 1,500 betting rooms, 82 websites and 56 companies, including 11 operating abroad (Malta, Austria, Romania and Spain).
The prosecutor also expressed 41 arrest warrants including house arrest or the obligation to report to the police against 23 people, explains the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica.
The persons concerned are accused of money laundering and circumvention of national regulations on gambling and betting.
A police statement explains that " They bypassed the laws governing this sector, accumulating significant profits that were then reinvested in the acquisition of new companies and licences to further expand their activities."
The founder of BetUniQ, Mario "Mariolino" Gennaro was arrested. This 38-year-old man was already known for his close ties with the Ndrangheta mafia.
His company, based in Malta, opened over 500 gaming points without licenses, which avoided Italian taxes and laundered money.
Despite this dismantling, the mafia group is still powerful with about 60,000 people who have had an involvement in the group's sales. This organization is present in over 30 countries.
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