https://www.corrieredellacalabria.i...miliardario-che-fa-gola-alla-ndrangheta/Gambling addiction and mafia interests
Gaming and gambling, the billion-dollar business that the 'ndrangheta is craving
Alarming numbers and growing spending trends in the sector. The interests of crime and the fight against gambling addiction in Calabria
Published: 2025-04-23 – 10:51
LAMEZIA TERME A sector worth around 4 billion euros in Calabria alone. The blatant cynicism of those who exploit a real gambling disease, ruining people and entire families for the sake of pure profit. The latest data paints an alarming picture: a per capita collection among Calabrians of around 2,800 euros per person, a growing trend with the increase in money spent in 2023 and an activity of contrast and awareness that does not yet seem to be sufficient. Added to all this is the illicit business, in the hands of the mafias that hold the monopoly, which in Italy reaches up to 37 billion euros. A fertile ground especially for the 'ndrangheta between illegal circuits, clandestine betting and the network of slot machines.
The 'Ndrangheta in the gambling business
The Black Monkey investigation, coordinated by the Bologna DDA, revealed the tentacles of the Calabrian criminal world in “gambling” and revealed a complex system that included “rigged” cards and an online game that eluded legal controls. The group, which the Court of Cassation nevertheless defined as non-mafia, was headed by Calabrian Nicola Femia, sentenced to 16 years, who according to the investigations had ties to the 'ndrangheta. The Gambling nel Reggio investigation also shed light on the interests of organized crime, in addition to the Johnny, Tisifone and Glicine Akeronte operations conducted against the Crotone 'ndrine. Among the most active in the sector is the Megna di Papanice gang, which is said to have gone so far as to share the illicit gambling market with the Arenas. A modus operandi similar to that which the 'ndrangheta uses in the rest of Italy, where the Camorra is strongly present in the sector: no war, but agreements and "contracts" of division to protect mutual interests. The huge flow of money around online gambling also emerges from the most recent Folgore Blizzard investigation, which reconstructed the interests of Luigi Masciari, considered the reference man for the 'ndrangheta in the North, in the sector that could bring in " 300-400 thousand euros a month ".
Money laundering and profit
A fruitful tool not only as a source of income, but also as a “laundering machine” of dirty money, useful for the 'ndrangheta laundering of illicit capital. Both through “physical” gambling with slot machines, rigged or illegal, imposed on the premises, on the other hand online gambling on illicit sites. The latter is constantly growing with the evolution of technology, with the 'ndrangheta already branched out into the dark web and expanding with cryptocurrencies. Victims, first and foremost, are those who have gotten lost in the spiral of gambling : but if on the one hand the data on gambling addiction in Calabria are growing, on the other hand the measures for contrast and prevention are still weak. A “vulnus” that the Region is trying to remedy: in recent years, over 4.5 million euros have been invested to combat pathological gambling, therapeutic services have been established and the synergy with the SerD, the Addiction Services promoted by the ASPs, has been further developed. In a few days – as stated in March by the president of the Third Commission Pasqualina Straface – further funds should be requested from the Region to the Ministry of Health to combat gambling addiction. But there are still few who, independently, ask for help: in the Vibo Valentia area, among the provinces where the most is spent on gambling, only 1 person is in charge of addiction at the Addiction Services present in the ASP out of a catchment area of ??approximately 150 thousand euros. ( ma.ru. )
