The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is pushing back against local media reports that Italian organized crime groups had attempted to infiltrate Malta’s gaming industry.

In December, the Times of Malta published an article detailing allegations that members of Palermo-based Mafia clans had developed “advanced plans” to shift their base of operations to Malta due to increased pressure by Italian anti-mafia police.

According to Palermo’s chief anti-Mafia prosecutor, the local clans believed Malta’s online gambling industry “would be a good financial vehicle for them and less risky than making their money from extortion.”

The alleged plan required the mobsters to find a Malta-based gambling operator to take over operations of Palermo’s Favorita race track, which police raided last month, arresting 25 suspected mafiosi.