A dozen Serie A footballers are under investigation in the Milan investigation into a clandestine betting ring , which does not involve football matches.
The events would have occurred until October 2023. Among the names of the footballers registered for having bet illegally are those of Nicolò Fagioli, Sandro Tonali, Weston McKennie, Raoul Bellanova, Angel Di Maria, Nicolò Zaniolo, Alessandro Florenzi, Mattia Perin, Samuele Ricci, Matteo Cancellieri, Leandro Paredes, Cristian Buonaiuto, Matteo Falzarano, Adames Firpor, Marco Sartori . Other athletes were also involved, including the tennis player Matteo Gigante .
The footballers, according to what has been learned, are under investigation for having played on illegal betting and poker platforms and for having advertised them among other footballers. They are therefore investigated for the hypothesis that they participated not in betting on football but on illegal platforms in games not authorized by the Customs and Monopolies Agency and, in particular, in poker games on online tables.
THE SYSTEM
As part of the investigations, the Gdf seized over one and a half million euros from five people and a company for "illegal exercise of gambling and betting activities, money laundering and administrative liability of entities". In the investigation by PM Paolo Filippini and Roberta Amadeo, "decrees for the setting of preventive interrogation" before the investigating judge were also notified, after the "request for the application" of house arrest for the five suspects .
From the investigations, explains the prosecutor Marcello Viola, emerged «a group active in the Milan area held responsible for the illegal organization of bets, also through unauthorized online platforms, used by numerous bettors».
Investigators also found that a large part of the payments to settle gambling debts intended for the organizers were " channeled through a Milanese jewelry store to obstruct the illicit origin of the money and make it difficult to identify the real beneficiary."
