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Isle of Man police have arrested two suspects in the island’s latest raid on online gambling companies as part of an ongoing probe into global money laundering.
The Isle of Man Constabulary on Wednesday (March 12) executed a search warrant against Ableton Prestige Global Limited and Amiga Entertainment in the capital of Douglas.
The operation was carried out as part of a “large-scale international money laundering investigation”, according to a police spokesman, who added that two suspects were released on bail. The suspects were not identified.
“The Isle of Man authorities continue to work in partnership, responding robustly to prevent, identify and disrupt any criminal activity of this nature,” the Isle of Man Constabulary said.
Ableton Prestige Global Limited and Amiga Entertainment share the same registered address and agent in the capital Douglas, business registry data shows, although the raid on both companies took place at a common nearby address, according to the police statement.
Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) and company LinkedIn data show that Ableton Prestige Global was an online gambling licensee from September 2018, offering a “state of the art platform [supporting] both mobile and desktop, offering 100s of games with 24/7 accessibility”, before surrendering its licence in April 2024.
Using wording identical to Ableton Prestige Global’s LinkedIn page, Amiga Entertainment’s geo-blocked website describes the company as a gaming software company offering “bespoke game play”, but it is not listed as a current or former GSC licensee.
It was not immediately clear if action against the two companies is related to raids last year on former GSC licensees King Gaming and Dalmine, which resulted in numerous arrests, licence cancellations and the collapse of a major real-estate expansion in the Isle of Man.
Since those raids, the GSC has stepped up enforcement protocols, licensee training and changed its leadership, while the Isle of Man government has promised legislative reform, tougher regulations and enhanced scrutiny for online gambling licensees.
But the latest raid compounds pressure on the government, which has come under heavy criticism from the United Nations and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities over online gaming licensees and other links to organised crime networks in mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines and China.
The island faces an assessment next year by the Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL financial standards watchdog.
Cambodia’s notorious Prince Group was identified in February 2024 as the alleged beneficial owner of Amiga Entertainment and Ableton Prestige Global.
In a report that preceded the King Gaming/Dalmine raid, Radio Free Asia alleged that leaked banking records indicated Amiga was ostensibly licensing gambling products to companies in China, likely violating Chinese gambling laws, but in reality serving as an offshore conduit for money laundering.
The report alleged that Prince Group moved more than $100m through Amiga Entertainment, ultimately reaching Prince Group mogul Chen Zhi, a highly connected ethnic Chinese businessman whose empire has expanded into the UK and Cuba, among other places, but which has also come under close scrutiny from Beijing.
Prince Holding Group and Singapore-based law firm Duane Morris & Selvam attacked Radio Free Asia’s allegations in a statement in February 2024, denying direct or beneficial ownership of Amiga Entertainment or any other business relationship with the company.
Prince Group threatened legal action over the allegations, but Radio Free Asia’s three-part investigation into Prince Group, its influence in Cambodia and further afield and links to cyber-scamming compounds and human trafficking remains online after 13 months.
“It is imperative that the Isle of Man authorities and industry across all sectors remain vigilant and mitigate vulnerabilities that can be exploited by criminals,” the Isle of Man Constabulary said.
“The Isle of Man is committed to disrupting illicit activity and preventing the island, its people and financial and non-financial sectors from being exploited.”
