Two former top executives at online gambling operator Bwin.party digital entertainment are facing bribery charges over a failed bid for a Turkish sports betting license.

This week, Austrian media outlet Trend reported that Vienna’s public prosecutor had on Jan. 13 filed charges of corruption, money laundering and breach of trust against eight individuals, including Norbert Teufelberger (pictured, on the right) and Manfred Bodner (on the left), the two former top execs at betting operator Bwin, which merged with rival PartyGaming in 2011 to form Bwin.party.

The brouhaha relates to Bwin’s failed attempts to win a sports betting license in Turkey in 2007. Frustrated by their lack of success via official channels, Bwin hired several lobbyists, who in turn hired other lobbyists in Turkey, including one Ali Ocak, who told Bwin that the license could be obtained if the company provided him with €2.25m.

According to the indictment, Bwin duly transferred the cash – which the company claims was intended as a consulting fee – to a Lichtenstein company called Cort International Establishment. Bwin did subsequently receive a Turkish betting license, only to discover shortly thereafter that the license was a fake. (Let’s have some fun and just assume that the gaming regulator’s name on this license simply read: McLovin.)