Some 336 people have been placed under investigation in a probe into Cosa Nostra-run illegal online betting across Italy and abroad.
Some 23 people were arrested in Sicily, Emilia Romagna, Puglia, Germany, Poland and Malta. Anti-mafia police have charged them with illegal betting, tax evasion, aggravated fraud and money laundering.
They were also charged with favoring the Catania-based Cosa Nostra clan Santapaola-Ercolano, run from jail by superboss Benedetto ‘Nitto’ Santapaola.
Police seized some 80 million euros in assets in the probe.
Those investigated are accused of running the illegal online betting platform “Raisebet24.com”, based in Malta.
The proceeds from the scam, amounting to over 62 million euros, were then recycled in Italy and Germany, police said.
Police also seized some 180,000 euros in cash hidden in the false bottom of a car.
The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) commented on the case saying “illegal betting is a prey of the Mafia”.
Main Photo: File photo by EPA/STEFANO GUATELLI
Via ANSA
Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani military chiefs are to meet to discuss how to support Saudi Arabia under a joint defence pact, after Saudi's top religious authority told troops to be ready...
Church bells will quite literally be ringing across France this Friday morning as Pope Leo XIV lands on the tarmac of Paris-Orly airport for the first official papal visit to the country...
Morning Briefing
Community police trained to tackle online risks facing children
Almost 150 community police officers have completed extensive training aimed at helping them respon...
Updated 1140
Victoria Chosen as European Capital of Culture 2031: The European Commission has recommended Victoria (Rabat), Gozo as Malta’s European Capital of Culture for 2031, follo...
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
Sales of Chinese-made hybrid cars have risen dramatically across the European Union, raising concerns about the competitiveness of Europe's automotive industry. Only 659 Chinese full hyb...
Royal Caribbean has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in Sandals Resorts International for $3 billion, valuing the resort business at $6 billion. The transaction is the cruise operator's lar...
Artificial intelligence has already transformed industries such as finance and education, but one of its most important tests may come in medicine: discovering new drugs.
Pharmaceutic...
Malta’s new pay transparency regulations, which came into effect on the 5th of June, aim to strengthen fairness and equality in the workplace, but employers are warning that the rushed i...
Malta Public Transport will operate a special bus service during the Science in the City festival, taking place this Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September 2026 at Triton Square. The additi...
Malta Public Transport is encouraging passengers attending Una Notte Con Le Stelle at The Granaries, Floriana, on Saturday 5 September to make use of the regular night bus services opera...
Fears of renewed escalation gripped the Middle East on Wednesday after the United States and Iran exchanged their biggest barrage since July, with Washington striking Iran's southern co...
President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he had called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran, saying renewed negotiations had raised hopes of easing the conflict and reopening ship...
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he expected Moscow to escalate the war in "in the coming weeks", following Russian strikes that hit a Warsaw-bound train in Ukraine, just two kil...
The departure from Moldova of a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Norway was delayed when authorities closed the country's airspace over a drone alert, a Moldov...
