Slovenian and Croatian police arrest 11 in cross-border raids on match-fixing gang

Slovenian and Croatian polices yesterday swooped on an international match-fixing crime syndicate making 11 arrests after 13 house searches and impounding 15 vehicles in both countries.

Those arrested are accused of organised crime, sports corruption and illegal betting. The charges include multiple counts of fixing professional matches in Serbia, the Czech Republic and Romania.

Slovenian media is reporting that one of those arrested is 43-year-old Dino Lalić, supposedly a member of the criminal ‘gypsy clan’ gang. A former professional goalkeeper who played for several Slovenian clubs, Lalić has been convicted of match-fixing previously but earned a lesser sentence after co-operating with police.

The arrests came after the police had tracked the gang via a number of illegal web betting platforms used to place large bets with Asian bookmakers. Most bets, according to a Europol report, were being placed on the final result of matches.

Using the illegal betting platforms members of the group transferred money through various virtual currency exchanges, including Skrill and Paysafe. Money won via the bets was transferred to an internet bank and then on to different off-shore shell companies.

“The ring developed synergies with other top criminal groups in different countries in order to invest money gained from other serious crimes, including drug trafficking,” said Europol.

As well as the arrests the police seized 35 computers and IT devices, 32 mobile phones, €19,650 in cash, 38,500 of counterfeit euro banknotes and two vehicles.

Investigators first began tracking the crime ring last March, with the Slovenian taking the lead, supported by Europol’s analytical resources and neighbouring police forces. Europol stressed the need for cross-border co-operation in what is becoming a more sophisticated criminal activity.

Sergio D’Orsi, a specialist in Europol’s Analysis Project Sports Corruption, said: “Sports Corruption is a serious crime and a truly global phenomenon carried out by organised crime groups, most often operating cross-border.

“This international investigation has shown the level of sophistication reached by certain criminal networks involved in sports corruption which use new modus operandi to generate large illegal profits and invest money also coming from other serious crimes. International police cooperation is fundamental to disrupt such criminal networks.

Darko Majhenič, Director of National Bureau of Investigations of the Slovenian Police said: “Slovenian Police is committed to pursue corruption in sport and Illegal betting in the region. Cooperation among Europol member countries and support of Europol have helped our skilled investigators to handle the workload. Investigators all over Europe will benefit from evidence gathered today.”

Fortuna Entertainment to pay up to €135m for Hattrick Sports

Central and Eastern European sports betting and lottery operator Fortuna Entertainment Group has bolstered its regional presence while also expanding its geographical reach through the acquisition of Hattrick Sports.

On Thursday, Fortuna announced that it had reached a deal to acquire 100% of Hattrick Sports Group Ltd., Ireland. Terms of the sale weren’t disclosed but Czech media reported that the deal involved an €85m upfront payment with a maximum possible top-up of €50m if the Hattrick brands meet certain performance benchmarks.

Fortuna cautioned that the sale remains subject to regulatory approval and the companies will continue to operate as separate entities until this approval has been granted.

Hattrick’s holdings include Casa Pariurilor, the leading betting operator in Romania. Hattrick’s brands also include Prva Sportska Kladionica (PSK), the second largest operator in Croatia, and Hattrick is also a joint venture partner in Spanish online and retail betting operator Luckia.

Fortuna CEO Per Widerström said it was his company’s intention to retain both the Fortuna and Casa Pariurilor brands in Romania as well as both PSK and Hattrick in Croatia. Widerström said the acquisition reflected Fortuna’s long-term strategy of becoming the “No. 1 licensed multichannel betting and gaming operator in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Hattrick CEO Carsten Sundberg said combining his company with Fortuna had “a compelling logic and aligns strategically very well,” adding geographical reach and market diversity to Fortuna’s existing operations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

Fortuna will release its preliminary results for its 2016 performance on March 9, with the annual report to follow on April 20. In its Q3 report last November, the company reported double-digit gains in betting turnover but profits fell due to steep new Czech taxes. The company has projected that its FY16 earnings will come in between 10% to 15% lower than 2015’s figures.

Bwin.party look to withdraw from 18 countries.

Bwin.party have announced they are blocking players from 18 countries within the EU and also South America. Those countries involved are Greece, Poland, Romania, Cyprus, Finland, Serbia, Armenia, Belarus, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil and finally Colombia.

The move was announced to affiliates by the company on an email on Friday 19th April.

On the email it said that from the 30th April no new singups will be accepted from those countries and also there was a request that all marketing material aimed at those countries be removed. However all existing accounts will remain open, and affiliate commission to those accounts will continue to be paid.

It is thought the move is connected with those countries mentioned looking to reduce or prohibit online gambling within their borders in the future along with the commercial aspect that those mentioned are small in operating value and allows bwin.party to focus their efforts on more lucrative markets such as the US and more recognised and profitable regions such as the UK and Spain.

Dinamo Zagreb under investigation for match fixing

Croatian Minister of the Interior Tomislav Karamarko on Monday confirmed that the Croatian police were continuing cooperation with their German colleagues in an investigation into the rigging of First Croatian Football Division matches, declining to comment on media reports that Zoran Mamic, sports director of the soccer club Dinamo Zagreb, was under investigation.

"The operation Offside is still in progress and it would not be good to give any comments or prejudge anything. We are cooperating with our German colleagues in the case," Karamarko told reporters.

The media have reported that German prosecutors suspect Mamic of fixing the national cup's first final match between Dinamo and Hajduk last year. The Sportske Novosti paper on Sunday reported that German prosecutors have evidence that Mamic, referees and the-so called betting mob had fixed last year's first final cup match in which Dinamo beat Hajduk 3:0. The report was carried on Monday by almost all domestic media.

Ante Sapina, a Croatian living in Germany, has been linked with this case. Sapina has been involved in several scandals regarding match fixing and he reportedly earned 1.4 million euros on the Dinamo-Hajduk match. The German state prosecutor's office in Bochum, which is investigating match-fixing scandals, today would not either confirm or deny reports in the Croatian media, and the Croatian anti-corruption agency USKOK would not comment either.

Dinamo issued a statement today condemning in the strongest terms illegal betting and match fixing, describing media reports implicating Mamic as dangerous and destructive.

Based on data provided by the German police, the Croatian police last year launched an operation called Offside, arresting 22 sport workers and footballers for fixing matches for personal gain. Three of the alleged organisers of the scam remain in custody.

Croatian police conduct arrests for football match-fixing

The Croatian police have arrested more than a dozen people in alleged match-fixing and betting scams in a nationwide anti-corruption operation, a police spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"We have arrested a large number of individuals in several Croatian counties," Krunoslav Borovec told the state radio, adding that arrests were continuing.

Local media reported that around 20 people were arrested in operation "Offside". In the past year Croatia has stepped up its fight against corruption and organised crime — a key condition for its EU accession talks — and some top managers and former government officials have been indicted or are under investigation.

Last November, police in Germany, Britain, Austria and Switzerland cracked down on a match-fixing ring in what UEFA, football's governing body in Europe, called the biggest betting scandal in Europe.

Some 32 matches in Germany's lower divisions as well as dozens of first or second division matches in Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia, Hungary, Croatia, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia were under investigation.

Croatian soccer officials said at the time that only one match in the Croatian first division had been included in investigation.

It was not immediately clear if the arrests are related to last year's Europe-wide scandal.