The French authorities have apprehended two men for allegedly operating an illegal network of online casinos that handled almost €1bn ($1.2bn) in bets since 2021. SiGMA News received confirmation from the prosecutor’s office in Paris that the suspects are in detention ahead of their trial. Law enforcement raided their properties in Cyprus and seized assets.
a decade in prison and fines as high as €750,000 ($874,425)
Their main brand was Crésus Casino, an online gambling site that didn’t have a license to operate in France. They also allegedly ran Olympe Casino, Casino-Privé, Lucky 8, and Jackpot Bob. In addition to the illegal platforms, other charges include money laundering and advertising illegal sites, much of which was through a YouTube channel with 900,000 subscribers. They’re looking at up to a decade in prison and fines as high as €750,000 ($874,425) or half the laundered assets’ value.
The prosecutor’s office first became aware of the illegal operation in July 2024 after getting an alert from investigators with the country’s gaming regulator, Autorité Nationale des Jeux (FDJ). They found that over 98% of the operations targeted French residents, equating to more than one million visits every month. The ANJ warned the duo about their transgressions, which was ignored. They even went as far as creating mirror sites after the ANJ blocked the original Crésus Casino.
Online gambling sites remain illegal in France, despite attempts in recent years by lawmakers to legalize them to stop people from using black market platforms.
