VALLETTA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Malta and Italy are tightening their cooperation in the fight against illegal betting after dozens were arrested and millions of euros in assets seized, Malta's Digital Economy Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri told Parliament on Wednesday.
Schembri said the Malta Gaming Authority will be entering into an information exchange agreement with Italy's Guardia di Finanza for investigations on illegal gaming activity.
The cooperation agreement between the Maltese and Italian authorities, which is set to be signed in the coming days, will cover the analysis of information for the purpose of detecting illicit activity.
The announcement was made just hours after an Italian investigation into illegal betting, in which Malta cooperated, leading to the arrest of 68 people and the seizure of over 1 billion euros (one euro currently equals to 1.13 U.S. dollars) in assets in Italy and elsewhere.
Around 80 search operations are also being carried out in various cities around Italy.
The investigation was spearheaded by prosecutors from Bari, Reggio Calabria and Catania, under the coordination of the Italian National Anti-Mafia and Counter-Terrorism Directorate.
The total value of the bets discovered by the Italian authorities was reportedly over 4.5 billion euros, according to Italian news agency Rai News.
The collaborative investigation involved Eurojust and the judicial authorities of Austria, Malta, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Netherlands, Curacao, Serbia, Albania and Spain.
Italian investigators say that criminal groups had adopted Mafia style methods to control the online clandestine betting market, using several different platforms managed by the organisations, while laundering the illegal proceeds through real estate assets and overseas foundations and companies.
