Late last year, retail and online sports betting operator Tipster renewed its license in Germany for another five years.Currently, investigations into tax evasion, money laundering and organized crime are likely to invalidate the license.
More than 900 German police officers in several states took part in a raid against Tipster yesterday, according to the media Tagesschau.The North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Service, which spearheaded the raids, said it had executed more than 100 search warrants and six arrest warrants through the operation.
The raid addressed Tipster's activities head-on and gave Congressman Ulrich Maurer a chance to say "I told you so."A senator from Bremen, Lower Saxony, recently argued that sportsbooks are dens of illegal activity.
A large-scale search across Europe
Investigators also targeted other locations in Germany and across Europe.We have raided houses in the German cities of Bremen, Berlin, Saxony and Bavaria, as well as Malta and Croatia.Police in Cologne, Brühl and elsewhere have already arrested six main suspects, aged between 34 and 60, all of whom are said to be senior Tipster executives.
They were responding to an investigation that began two and a half years ago.Tipster's management faces charges including forming a criminal organization, money laundering, illegal gambling and non-reporting of employment.
Similar police investigations are still ongoing.Police have so far raided over 100 private homes and gambling establishments.It also attempted to gain access to a secure vault allegedly housing the company's servers in its Cologne office.
Police seized evidence and an unknown amount of cash and valuables, with further seizures and arrests pending.Germany's National Criminal Police Service said the raid was just part of an effort to seize tens of millions of euros in ill-gotten proceeds.
The public prosecutor's office and the police did not initially announce what specific suspicions led to the house search.But it's clear when you look at the various law enforcement departments involved.Police officers and prosecutors from Germany's Central Office for Fighting Organized Crime, as well as police officers and customs officials from the financial investigation department of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, were also present.
house cleaning
It's not clear why law enforcement officials determined that Tipster may have been complicit in illegal activity.When Maurer went viral last summer, he denounced all sports betting operators as nothing more than a cover for money laundering.
In response, the Bremen sports betting operator closed its doors to conduct a full investigation.No statement has yet been made to confirm any links, but it is possible that investigators discovered something in the meantime that led to the ongoing investigation.
Germany has been trying to develop a sports betting and online gaming ecosystem over the last few years.However, things are not going as smoothly as expected.Licensing issues and violations continue, and some lawmakers question the spread of gambling. If the allegations against Tipster are confirmed, it will be a big blow for operators who play by the rules.
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