German Police Raids Tipster.de over Alleged Ties with Organized Crime

Tipster.de, a German online sports betting website, had its Cologne office raided by the police. As reported by Bild.de, a German news outlet, 1,000 officers from the police of North Rhine-Westphalia thoroughly searched the workplace for evidence in relation to a big pan-European investigation.

The raid saw the law enforcers storm the company office this morning. The police searched through more than 100 items.

According to Bild, the officers carried out the operation because of suspected relation to unlicensed gambling and links to organized crime. The blitz operation sought to secure all potential evidence before it could have been destroyed.

Sources claim that the raid is part of a pan-European criminal investigation spanning several countries. The operation has seen anti-corruption forces in Germany, Croatia and Malta work together to crack down on crime. The case allegedly involves costly damages.

Six People Were Arrested

While not much information has been made public as of yet, Bild said that the raid has been successful, leading to several arrests. Six people from the company management were arrested as a result of the operation, the news outlet reported, with arrest warrants having been issued prior to the police action.

What prompted this exact raid is still unclear. However, it is known that it was specifically approved by the German prosecution.

Tipster.de, the brand whose office was raided, is the German subsidiary of Tipster, a Malta-based online sports betting operator. The site holds a license to legally offer its products in the country and has been operating in the local market since 2010, long before the recent re-regulations of gambling in the country.

The GGL Remains Committed to Fighting the Black Market

In other news, the German regulator recently addressed the matter of illegal gambling amid claims that the strict regulations are undermining the legal market. The Gemeinsamen Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) noted that the market share of unlicensed operators remains under 5%, showing that licensed companies remain dominant.

In spite of the favorable results, the GGL said that it will continue to fight the black market while channeling players toward the legal alternative.

The report came in the wake of a claim by the Deutsche Sportwettenverband, which claimed that the strict regulatory environment in Germany is having an adverse effect, causing people to leave the legal market and instead play with offshore brands. According to the GGL, this claim is simply exaggerated.