A large-scale operation against illegal gambling has involved ten Italian provinces—Rome, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Caserta, Latina, Varese, Venice, Verona, and Brindisi—as part of a "high-impact" operation coordinated by the Central Unit of the Gaming and Betting Police of the SCO (Central Operations Service) in collaboration with the Control Office of the Gaming Directorate of the Customs and Monopolies Agency.
The intervention, which concluded yesterday, aimed to combat the illegal operation of sports betting at brick-and-mortar outlets across the country, with the goal of protecting consumers and ensuring legality in the public gaming sector.
Checks in 35 rooms and over 300 subjects identified
During the operations, conducted by over 160 police officers and Agency officials, 35 betting shops were inspected and more than 300 individuals were checked, 108 of whom were already known to law enforcement. Two individuals were charged at large with crimes related to illegal betting, while over 30 administrative violations were reported, resulting in total fines exceeding €500.000.
Money laundering schemes with "split" bets discovered
During the checks, investigators also discovered violations of anti-money laundering regulations related to the use of "split" bets—a technique used to evade player identification requirements in the event of large wins. According to investigators, this system can represent a dangerous money laundering route for criminal groups, including mafia-type ones, allowing the reinvestment of illicit capital in the legal gaming circuit.
Synergy between Police and ADM against mafia infiltration
The operation confirms the effectiveness of the collaboration between the Italian State Police and the Customs and Monopolies Agency, which in recent years have strengthened their joint efforts to combat the most advanced forms of illegality in the gaming sector.
Specialists from the Flying Squads and SISCO (Special Investigative Sections Against Organized Crime) trained in the Central Anti-Crime Directorate's qualification courses took to the field, along with Agency experts capable of analyzing gaming patterns and machine anomalies.
The operation, investigative sources explain, allowed for "strengthening control of public places and gambling establishments, with particular attention to potential economic infiltration by organized crime," which often uses increasingly sophisticated techniques for laundering and reinvesting illicit proceeds.
A clear message, therefore, against illegal betting and the channels of the criminal economy that continue to try to infiltrate the world of legal gambling.
