In a groundbreaking operation this past May, the Spanish National Police dismantled a sophisticated global criminal network orchestrating a massive sports betting scam that has now been traced back to Iran.
Interpol and Europol have alerted authorities in nearly 200 countries about this intricate scheme that exploited broadcast delays in soccer matches, defrauding gambling operators of millions of dollars.
The Spanish National Police, led by the National Police Center for Integrity in Sports and Betting (CENPIDA), uncovered the scam by employing a combination of satellite technology and on-the-ground informants.
The criminals used the Telegram app to obtain codes, enabling them to illicitly intercept satellite television signals during broadcast delays, allowing for fraudulent bets to be placed.
The investigation, known as Operation Mursal, began in 2020 after suspicious online bets were detected in international table tennis competitions—a sport that continued during the pandemic.
The focus initially centered on Yavor Ivanov Andreev, a Bulgarian citizen and former table tennis player, leading investigators to the alleged ringleader, Bogdan Vorovenci, a Romanian citizen residing in Cabanillas del Campo.
The criminal network exploited two innovative methods to take advantage of broadcast delays.
The first involved the use of oversized satellite dishes installed at Vorovenci’s residence, intercepting images before reaching television production studios.
Codes obtained from an Iranian Telegram channel called “Hack Sat Feed” facilitated this process.
The second method employed “announcers” at stadiums who provided real-time updates via phone calls, enabling the criminals to place bets on predetermined outcomes.
Interpol issued a “purple notification” to authorities in 196 countries, outlining the modus operandi of the criminal organizations involved.
Europol has urged EU member states to share relevant cases related to the fraud.
The investigation in Spain is ongoing, with approximately 20 arrests made, including alleged ringleader Vorovenci and sports betting tipster Juan Gayá Salom.
The criminal charges include belonging to a criminal organization, corruption in the sports field, defrauding gambling operators, document falsification, currency counterfeiting, and money laundering.
Europol emphasizes that the network managed to amass “millions of euros of illicit profits” before its dismantling.
The fraudulent bets were made on matches from the last World Cup, La Liga’s last season, the German Bundesliga, and various soccer competitions in Asia and South America.
The criminals manipulated the broadcast delays to make winning bets on live-betting scenarios, such as predicting the next goal, corner, or card.
Europol’s report underscores that the criminal network used stolen identities and facilitators to create betting accounts and collect profits without triggering alerts from gambling houses and law enforcement.
The exact amount of money pocketed by the criminals remains undisclosed, but initial police estimates suggest millions of dollars hidden in bank accounts worldwide and cryptocurrency wallets.
Authorities worldwide are now on high alert, collaborating to prevent future instances of this technologically advanced sports betting fraud.
