Paris – 09.07.2026: An international investigation suggests that the gambling provider Soft2Bet, with connections to Cyprus and Malta, benefited in recent years from a network of unlicensed casino websites. According to analyses by Investigate Europe, Franceinfo and other partners, hundreds of millions of euros in revenue flowed through linked brands and partner sites — partly from countries where the relevant offers are on blocklists or warning lists. The analysis relies on leaked payment data, traffic analyses and documents from the environment of payment service providers.
Several national regulators, including France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) as well as authorities in Italy and Spain, have repeatedly classified individual brands as unlicensed and have ordered technical blocks or issued warnings. Nevertheless, the sites examined continued to record high visitor traffic from EU countries, according to the investigation’s data. Indicators suggest that operator structures and brand names were shifted between companies in Cyprus, Malta and offshore jurisdictions to circumvent or delay supervisory measures.
Payment chains are also at the center of the criticism: operators reportedly used intermediaries and service providers through which customer funds were funneled before they appeared in official accounts. The evaluated leaks show extensive transactions as well as payments for platform services attributed to the website operators. Experts interpret this as an indication that economic ownership structures were obscured and supervisory boundaries between EU countries were exploited.
Soft2Bet flatly rejects the allegations and points to valid licenses for certain activities, including through a Maltese entity, as well as internal compliance processes. The company emphasizes that it adheres to regulatory requirements and responds to orders from authorities. At the same time, the investigations show that individual brands linked to Soft2Bet have repeatedly appeared on national blocklists or have been challenged for lacking approvals.
Authorities have reacted differently: while some regulators updated blocklists, ordered network blocks and published warnings, others are continuing to examine possible violations. Experts are calling for closer cross-border cooperation among supervisory bodies, stricter checks by payment service providers and greater transparency obligations along operator chains. The aim is to better protect consumers, enforce advertising restrictions and make it harder to circumvent national licensing regimes.
The publication is part of an ongoing series of international media reports. Franceinfo, Investigate Europe and partners have published data analyses, background pieces and responses from regulators in recent days. French authorities announced further reviews; similar steps are possible in other EU countries. Whether these will lead to investigations or sanctions is unclear. What is clear: the market for online gambling is growing dynamically — posing the challenge for regulators, payment service providers and operators to clearly separate legal offers from unauthorized ones.
Sources
- Investigate Europe
- Franceinfo
- Bayerischer Rundfunk
- Tagesschau