Malta’s gaming regulator has suspended the license of an online gambling operator linked to an Italian anti-mafia police action.

On Friday, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced that it had suspended the Class 2 remote gaming license of Phoenix International Ltd, which operated several online betting sites, including B2875.com, Bsport24.com and B28sport.com, none of which are currently accessible.

The suspension follows Thursday’s raids on dozens of internet cafés by Italian police, in a Palermo-centered anti-mafia operation dubbed Game Over. Among the 23 individuals arrested on Thursday was B2875 owner Benedetto Bacchi, the so-called ‘betting king’ who reportedly controlled a network of 700 betting shops across Italy.

Bacchi’s betting shops – officially ‘data transmission centers’ or CTDs – featured terminals that connected to the Malta-licensed Phoenix gambling sites. The unauthorized operations reportedly generated undeclared revenue of €1m each month, with a chunk of that sum allegedly kicked back to Cosa Nostra members.