Justice progresses with the investigation although eight of the accused refused to testify.
Argentina.- The Criminal Prosecutor of the Economic Crimes Complex Unit (Udec) of the province of Salta, Ana Inés Salinas Odorisio, provisionally charged nine more people for the crime of exploitation and organization of illegal gambling within the framework of an investigation into unauthorized virtual betting. The network involves recruiters of bettors on social networks and individuals acting as "cashiers" in different provinces. Another man, detained since November 11 last year, was also charged with the same crime.
During the hearing, the four women and five men charged were assisted by private lawyers. Eight of them refrained from testifying and answering questions from the Prosecution, while one of them submitted his statement in writing.
The investigation began with the complaint of a Legal Advisor of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (EnReJA), who reported that a woman was promoting through mass media, her network of betting recruitment and sellers for an illegal virtual casino. Following this complaint, and over several months, the investigators of the Fiscal Investigation Corps, under the direction of Salinas Odorisio, conducted fieldwork in different provinces and telephone interventions to the suspects for 15 days.
It is worth noting that, during the investigation, the figure of the "Digital Undercover Agent" was used for 60 days, in computer media and online games, in order to simulate interest in "online casinos". This strategy provided the investigators with tools and concrete data that enabled them to better understand the operations deployed by the suspects both in our city and in the interior of the country.
At the request of prosecutor Salinas Odorisio, multiple raids were carried out in Salta, Buenos Aires, Tucumán, and Mar del Plata, and 253 bank accounts belonging to the accused were immobilized.
Also, through the Secretariat of Modernization of Salta, the blocking of all websites involved from the educational establishments of the province, where they operated, was requested. Likewise, a prohibition of leaving the country was requested for the eight main individuals involved in this criminal organization.
The intervention of UDEC began following the complaint filed on November 3, 2023, by the Legal Advisor of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (ENREJA), who assured that a woman was promoting, through mass media, her network of betting recruitment and sellers for an illegal virtual casino called BET91, Celuapuestas, and Red Las Únicas. These platforms operated without authorization, through the internet, and lacked any adaptation to the current legal regulations.
The complainant also warned that this irregular activity was aggravated by the complete omission of the regulations related to the Program for the Prevention of Gambling Addiction and the respective state policies. He also pointed out the lack of compliance in key areas such as money laundering, tax payment, and control of the activity, covering fiscal, tax, financial responsibility of organized gambling, solvency, compliance with the payment of prizes, fees, as well as the auditing of the random aspect of gambling and regulations on the prevention of money laundering, among other aspects.
Following the complaint, prosecutor Salinas Odorisio assigned the UDEC Investigation Unit to investigate the case.
See also: Argentina: the Government of Salta launched a website to report illegal betting pages
A structure was discovered in which people from other provinces recruited Salta citizens to act as "cashiers" for this online betting house. These "cashiers" were given a username and password to access an online gaming platform, operated through a fake NIC domain.
From the Public Prosecutor's Office of Salta, it was explained that the organization operates at different operational levels. Recruitment begins through direct recommendations or, in more recent versions, via social networks. Those interested in betting contact the "cashiers", who manage the amount of credit load. After receiving the payment, which is made through platforms like Mercado Pago, the client obtains a username and password to access games like virtual slot machines.
