MGA: iGaming Companies Have No Ties to Italian Mobster Antonio Ricci

^{Photo: Antonio Ricci (center) awaits trial in late 2019}

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has issued an official statement saying that it has nothing to do with Antonio Ricci, an Italian who is connected to the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has released an official statement denying any links with Antonio Ricci, an Italian mafia boss from the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

The MGA made the statement after an Italian operation that busted a network of criminal groups and took assets from three iGaming companies, at least one of which had a license in Malta. The names of the shady gambling operators are not revealed.

The investigation suggests that the criminals used the operators to launder money, and that Antonio Ricci had a management role in one of the Maltese iGaming companies.

According to the arrest warrant, the cops seized $433 million worth of assets from the gambling operators. As for Ricci, he had been living in Malta for a long time, until he was arrested by the local police in April 2019 for money laundering, and sent back to Italy.

«The authority would like to clarify that the individual being named at the center of the operation, Antonio Ricci, has no connection with the MGA, and he does not, in any capacity, form part of the ownership structures of any gaming company that is licensed by the MGA. The authority continuously liaises with both local and foreign authorities and will continue to monitor any further developments», the regulator’s statement says.

The investigation is carried out with international support and is called ‘Operation Galaxy’.