Greek Police Uncovers Illegal Gambling Operation Worth EUR 36.5 Million

An illegal gambling operation from Greece managed to con German players out of more than EUR 36.5 million.

Two men were recently caught by police officers, under suspicions of running an illegal online gambling site in Greece. The internet lottery service was aimed at German players, who ended up being conned out of about EUR 36.5 million.

The fake lottery site was available in Germany for three years and during this time it managed to attract plenty of gamblers.

A statement released by the local police said: “Members of this racket had tricked around 360,000 people in Germany into participating in non-existent lottery draws for a monthly fee of EUR 29.90. Their profit exceeded EUR 36.5 million.”

Real money, fake prizes

The people involved in the illegal operation got their hands on several phone lists from betting companies and worked with phone operators to offer fake cash rewards and prizes, including cars and trips. They also set up fake companies to funnel the money into various bank accounts.

The operation ran from 2009 until 2012 and hundreds of thousands of German players fell for the scam. The two men who are believed to be the senior operatives in the racket were caught by police officers in Athens, who later arrested them for breaking Greek gambling laws.