Italy illegal gambling ring linked to Malta’s Medialive Casino

Italy’s latest illegal gambling bust is once again tracing its tentacles back to Malta’s online gambling industry.

On Wednesday, Italian media revealed details of operation Double Jack, in which police fanned out across multiple Italian provinces to raid 30 different residences suspected of being connected to an illegal gambling operation that mixed land-based gaming machines with computer terminals connected to Malta-based online gambling servers.

The authorities ultimately arrested seven individuals suspected of involvement in an illegal online gaming operation that generated monthly revenue of €10m. Police seized 14 venues and numerous other tools of the trade, including bank accounts, with the total value of seized assets reaching €8.5m.

The raided venues – which included social clubs, billiard halls, amateur sports organizations and even a pizzeria – were reportedly equipped with master switches that allowed the operators to ‘reset’ the terminals to sever the Malta connection in case the authorities came calling. Prosecutors also claimed the gang’s gambling software could be manipulated to ensure gamblers didn’t win too often.