Authorities in Germany have conducted searches linked to a suspected illegal online gambling network believed to have processed around €5.86 billion in bets over a 30-month timeframe. The DSWV and DOCV trade organizations have urged the GGL to revise its estimates regarding channelization in light of these developments.
According to reports from German media, the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt, alongside the city's tax investigation unit, the North Rhine-Westphalia Office for the Fight Against Financial Crime, and the Frankfurt police, coordinated the raids on 11 different locations on Tuesday.
The operation involved over 100 officers, who seized several high-value vehicles and froze bank accounts, totaling approximately €82 million in asset seizure orders. Additionally, an arrest warrant was executed.
Investigators allege that five individuals have been providing unauthorized online gambling services in Germany since July 2021. During this period, these operations are said to have resulted in over €5.8 billion in total bets. Authorities are also investigating potential large-scale tax evasion, with estimates suggesting a tax shortfall in 2024 could be as high as €77.7 million.
The DSWV, which advocates for legal bookmakers, has endorsed the raids, citing them as evidence of the illegal market's significant scale. Mathias Dahms, the president of DSWV, remarked on the investigation's findings, stating, "This successful investigation clearly demonstrates the scale that the illegal gambling market has now reached."
