Police have broken up a Thessaloniki gambling ring that allegedly rigged games at internet cafés in two northern Greek cities, arresting 20 people and putting its illegal gains at more than €1 million.
Officers from the Hellenic Police Northern Greece Organised Crime Sub-directorate led the operation, with help from forensic investigators. The Thessaloniki gambling ring also operated in Kavala.
Of the 20 people arrested, 18 are alleged members of the Thessaloniki gambling ring, including its leaders. The other two were players.
Police also built a case against 14 more people. Depending on the individual, charges include membership of a criminal organisation, felony fraud, breaches of gaming laws, money laundering and personal data offences.
How the Thessaloniki gambling ring worked
Two leading members, aged 55 and 51, built a hierarchical group with distinct roles, investigators found. A months-long Financial Crimes Unit inquiry traced their activity back to at least 2013.
The Thessaloniki gambling ring ran premises licensed as food and drink outlets, mostly internet cafés. Illegal games of chance ran there on special software.
That software let the leaders set payouts and choose which players would win, bypassing the games’ random mechanism. As a result, players never knew their true chances of winning.
To avoid detection, the cafés kept a separate room with controlled entry, while lookouts stood watch. Staff could also press a panic button that changed what the computer screens showed whenever they spotted police.
Police said the 55-year-old allegedly held the central coordinating role, deciding how the shops ran, who joined and who did what. He also managed the profits and watched staff through CCTV cameras in the shops.
A 68-year-old, one of his deputies, allegedly ran the staff, the cash flow, the daily takings, as well as technical support.
Bank accounts belonging to a 51-year-old woman allegedly helped move and hide the money. Another deputy, aged 40, allegedly ran the software remotely, trained staff and, on the leader’s orders, could pick winning players.
Money, straw men and seizures
Some members allegedly posed as owners of the companies behind the shops. These straw men hid the real owners and helped the Thessaloniki gambling ring avoid tax and employer contributions, police said.
Two of the leading members spent far more than their declared incomes, a parallel financial probe found. Takings also moved through specific people, bank accounts and betting accounts to disguise their origin.
Given its activity since 2013, police estimate the total illegal gain of the Thessaloniki gambling ring at more than €1 million. Anti-money laundering authorities have frozen bank and betting accounts belonging to the leading members.
Searches of homes, shops and vehicles turned up €61,460 and US$700 in cash, 11 gold sovereigns, jewellery and four cars. Officers also seized 28 mobile phones, 61 computer units, 21 cameras, 22 hard drives and handwritten notes.
Following the arrests, police took the suspects before the prosecutor, who released the two players on an oral order.
Illegal gambling remains a target for Greek authorities, and the Hellenic Gaming Commission regulates legal gaming. In March, police dismantled a separate network that allegedly made more than €16 million.
Earlier, in February, the finance ministry was preparing a bill with jail terms of up to 10 years for illegal gambling.
Source: Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA)
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