The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has announced the first convictions in its Goliath investigation, a major cross-border VAT fraud case involving electronics trading, shell companies and the use of a Hawala network to transfer criminal proceeds. A court in Düsseldorf, Germany, found two defendants guilty of participating in a criminal organisation responsible for a scheme that caused an estimated €200 million in damage to EU and national budgets between 2019 and

Italy’s land-based gambling sector is calling for urgent transitional measures as existing concessions approach their expiry at the end of 2026, with a long-awaited reform of the retail market still on hold. The Associazione Gestori Scommesse Italia (AGSI), which represents betting shop managers, is urging the government to establish temporary rules to maintain business continuity while new concession tenders are prepared. Current concessions covering sports betting, bingo,..

A7, a Russian payment company backed by the Russian state, processed at least 283 metric tonnes of cash rubles worth more than US$14 billion between November 2024 and July 2025, according to an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Russian independent media outlet Proekt. The findings raise concerns about how large volumes of cash with unverified origins can enter international payment channels and move across borders without cl

Brazil’s online betting market faces continued regulatory uncertainty after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured re-election, keeping in power an administration that has backed a prohibition on fixed-odds betting. The future of the ban will now depend not only on the government’s position, but also on proceedings before the country’s Supreme Federal Court and the legislative process in Congress.Lula’s victory leaves the betting industry facing a difficult political env