Italian Village Engages in Mass Online Gambling, Police Suspect Foul Play

rome - A village in northern Italy has seen a sudden surge in online gambling activities, with residents reportedly winning consistently. Authorities suspect organized crime involvement and money laundering schemes.

A village with two thousand residents located at the foot of the mountains in the northern Italian province of Trentino has unexpectedly turned to online gambling en masse, consistently winning. In 2022, the residents of the village of Calliano, aged between 18 and 74, gambled a total of 1,790,794.81 euros, according to data. This amount seemed remarkably high, but the following year, the villagers showed an even greater interest in gambling. In 2023, a total of 19,099,158.22 euros were gambled, more than ten times the previous year. Of this amount, 19,028,075.23 euros were reportedly won online, nearly all the money that was wagered. Only slightly over 71,000 euros, 0.4% of the total, were reported as losses, a significantly low figure compared to the average losses in online gambling.

The mayor of Calliano, Loreno Conci, insists that nobody in his village has suddenly become rich, buying luxury items or leading a different lifestyle. He claims that nothing has changed in the village. Italian authorities are considering the possibility that those engaging in online gambling may not actually reside in Calliano but have created an illusion of being there using advanced technology through a server.

The Guardia di Finanza suspects organized crime involvement in the widespread online gambling. They speculate that organized crime groups invest in and profit from online gambling, often utilizing hidden locations for laundering money acquired through illegal activities.