Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has successfully dismantled the largest organized online gambling and betting network operating across the country, directed by entities based in the UK.
In a statement released on Saturday, the ministry declared this significant achievement, attributing it to 14 months of meticulous intelligence gathering and surveillance.
The network, utilizing a sophisticated infrastructure, managed to defraud substantial amounts of money, employing 35,006 bank accounts, 1,200 payment gateways, and operating 54 major gambling and betting websites.
Described as a “London-based mafia network,” its modus operandi involved depositing a portion of received funds into gambler accounts as fictitious “winnings,” while transferring significant sums overseas to the UK.
The ministry revealed that the UK government turned a blind eye to the network’s illicit activities, tacitly endorsing money laundering and other unlawful operations in exchange for hefty tax revenues from their gains. This tacit approval effectively facilitated the criminal activities of the perpetrators, as stated in the ministry’s release.
Furthermore, the ministry’s operatives apprehended five managers running the “Nitro bet” network and the “Pardakht.me” payment gateway, charging them with economic sabotage, managing online gambling establishments, and acquiring illicit proceeds.
Highlighting that the UK-based network’s activities extended beyond fraudulence, the ministry emphasized its ongoing efforts to normalize gambling practices through various media channels, despite their prohibition in accordance with Islamic principles.
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