Maltese company has €3.5 million in assets confiscated by Italian financial crimes police

Italy’s financial crimes police have confiscated €3.5 million in assets from a Maltese company that operated an illegal betting operation in Messina.

The assets are equivalent to the tax due by the company in Italy on income that totalled €85 million, the Guardia di Finanza said.

The Maltese company operated betting sites with different trade names and also used physical outlets in Messina to take bets.
The sites were operated on the basis of concessions granted by foreign gaming authorities that are not valid in Italy.

The investigation by the Messina unit of the Guardia di Finanza revealed how legally autonomous firms acted as centres for the receipt of bets and served as advertising for the Maltese mother company. 

The name of the Maltese company was not divulged.