Betsolution Ltd and its directors have been acquitted of all charges in Italy’s long-running “Operazione Gambling” case, after a Reggio Calabria court found no evidence of organised crime involvement in the company’s Malta-based operations.
The criminal court ruled that the Maltese-registered betting platform was not connected to the ’Ndrangheta crime syndicate, drawing a line under the decade-long prosecution.
A three-judge panel read its operative decision on 30 June and deposited it on 5 July, acquitting company directors Domenico Lagrotteria and Alessandro Ciaffi of mafia association, money laundering and unauthorised gambling offences.
Prosecutors had alleged that Betsolution’s white-label sportsbook operations, based in Malta and Italy, had been used to launder funds for the Tegano clan.
Investigators froze hundreds of related betting domains and seized Malta- and Italy-based servers in the early phase of the 2015 crackdown.
But the court concluded that the business was a legitimate gaming provider and that the prosecution had failed to prove the use of a “mafia method”, a necessary element under Italian organised crime law.
Betsolution had operated entirely under Malta’s remote-gaming regime, with cross-border servers deemed routine industry practice rather than concealment.
Company acquitted after decade-long investigation
The investigation began in 2015, leading to high-profile arrests in Malta and Italy, and the freezing of Betsolution’s Maltese B2B licence by the Malta Gaming Authority.
The company had operated through a network of Italian agents and partners, including Vincenzo Giuliano, Mario Vardè and poker software supplier Davide Taher.
All were acquitted. At the time, the company’s local representative office in Malta was managed by corporate services provider GVM Holding, which is owned by lawyer David Gonzi.
Only two of the 23 defendants were convicted. Antonino Alvaro received a 10-year sentence, and Cristian Fortunato was sentenced to seven years in prison.
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