German authorities have executed searches in relation to a suspected illegal online gaming operation that is thought to have accepted bets of approximately €5.86 billion during a 30-month period, leading trade organizations DSWV and DOCV to request an adjustment of the GGL’s estimates for channelization.
As reported by the German Press, the public prosecutor of Frankfurt along with the tax investigation unit of Frankfurt, the North Rhine-Westphalia Office for the Fight Against Financial Crime and the police of Frankfurt organized the operations on Tuesday in 11 premises.
According to reports, over 100 officers took part in the operation. Multiple high-value vehicles were seized, bank accounts were frozen, and an asset seizure order of about €82 million was issued. An arrest warrant was also executed by the police.
The authorities believe that five people kept on providing unauthorized online gambling services in Germany since July 2021 and the total bets placed on their platforms during the period of 2021-2023 reached more than €5.8 billion. There are also suspicions about the possibility of massive tax evasion with an estimated short amount of taxes in 2024 reaching €77.7 million.
The DSWV, representing the legal bookmakers, supported the initiative as proof of the size of the illegal market.
Mathias Dahms, DSWV president, commented:
This successful investigation clearly demonstrates the scale that the illegal gambling market has now reached.
