SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
This morning, German police and anti-corruption officers raided the Cologne offices of online sportsbook Tipster.de.
The news was broken by Bild.de, which reported that 1,000 officers from the state police force of North Rhine-Westphalia had stormed the office of Tipster.de to search over 100 items.
It was reported that “the raid was carried out on suspicion of illegal gambling and the formation of a criminal organization. The aim of the searches was to secure evidence and assets.”
Tipster.de is the flagship brand of Tipster Limited, a Fourth Interstate (GlüNeuRStv) regime licensed betting group which operates the subsidiary brands of Norobet and Kuka.de.
This morning’s raid is reported to be part of a pan-European criminal investigation involving police forces in Croatia and Malta, cooperating with the anti-corruption units in Bavaria, Berlin, Bremen, and Saxony.
Bild reports that “Initial information suggests that the raid was successful. Six suspects from Tipster’s management were arrested. Arrest warrants had already been issued for all individuals. The case is said to involve damages in the millions.”
No specific reasons have been disclosed for the raid, which was approved by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation is reported to be led by prosecutors from ZEOS (Central Office for Organized Crime), working alongside the financial investigation department of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Headquartered in Ta’Xbiex, Malta, Tipster has operated in the German market since 2010 and was an authorised bookmaker prior to the launch of the GlüNeuRStv regime. granted a provisional licence by the Regional Council of Darmstart.
