UK based and licensed online casino Bet Paradise has had its license suspended by the UK Gambling Commission following revelations of ties to the Italian Mafia.
The company that owns the casino, Paradise Bet Limited, was granted a remote gambling license by the UK Gambling Commission in 2007. The Commission are now undertaking investigations into the casino's operations after being tipped off by Italian police that an interest in Paradise Bet Limited is owned by the notorious Parisi mafia family, headed by Savino Parisi.
The finding comes in the wake of a 3 year investigation into corruption and organize crime in the Southern Italian city of Bari which has lead the arrest of 74 people (including Parisi) and the seizure of assets including property, bank accounts, 61 luxury cars, 31 race horses and businesses worth an estimated GBP 200 million. Charges ranging from, loan-sharking, drug trafficking, money laundering, and interference with public contracts bidding are expected.
The Commission has suspended Paradise Bet's license while it conducts its own investigations into the company's affairs, and particularly how it came to be that a UK licensed remote gambling operation came to have such close Mafia ties.
Never a dull moment in the world of online gambling!
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