Illegal Lottery in Malta – News and Discoveries

An illegal lottery in Malta has been operating underground for at least three decades. Remaining undiscovered for this long, it has been duping legitimate lottery customers, putting them in serious debt to the fraudulent operators.

A police investigation, started due to the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, led to the discovery of this operation. The shocking details around this money-laundering scheme all the more urged lotto players to seek the services of the top lottery websites in Malta.

How the Investigation Started

In 2017, the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered, and the alleged middleman responsible for this was Melvin Theuma. He was the leader of an illegal, parallel lottery running along the legitimate, profitable Maltese business. The illegal operations that Theuma led were in action for three decades and remained undiscovered until a police investigation started looking into Daphne Caruana’s murder.

This investigation was able to expose Melvin, who acknowledged running the illegal lottery operation last November. Theuma’s fraudulent operators and associates were profiting by taking 30% of the legitimate lottery market and then laundering the money through profitable means such as construction.

The “Illegal Game” and Its Impact

The way the scheme works involves tricking unsuspecting customers into playing the illegal lottery. It is indistinguishable from the online lottery’s legal operations. It is not uncommon for participants to go to a local bar and unknowingly become part of either the legal or illegal operations of Melvin’s scheme.

Through this, Theuma and his associates were able to take over a 30% share of the lottery sales in Malta. It is estimated that this illegal lottery in Malta does at least €10 million in annual turnover. Then, this amount is laundered across different sectors of Malta’s industries.

Later on in the article, you’ll find additional information regarding the illegal game, how the parallel lotto operates, and most importantly, how to differentiate between a legal and an illegal operator.

Melvin Theuma’s Control Over the Industry

Let’s find out how Melvin Theuma operated and was able to run the illegal lottery operation undetected. Running a grand illegal operation like this cannot be done by a single person, and that’s why Theuma has associates running the Malta lottery scheme.

A credible source has provided information to investigators that the operators have divided their work into separate “zones”, each of which they control. Within these districts, regular customers participate in illegal activity with great enthusiasm and, as a result, fall into debt to the involved criminal groups.

It isn’t uncommon for customers to participate in lottery activities at local bars. The unofficial lottery runners promise big prizes, luring people into participating. However, what they do not know is that the interest rates charged by the runners are exorbitant and put the customers into financial struggles.

All of this makes Theuma’s illegal game extremely profitable. As we mentioned, he takes up to 30% of the online lottery’s legal sales. He does not have any credible national lottery licence, which makes his operations entirely illegal. This underground lottery essentially is a parallel lotto, operating using tickets, promising substantial sums of money to unsuspecting users.

Police Involvement and Eventual Turnaround

This Malta lottery scheme has been operating for at least three decades, credible sources say. As we mentioned, the serious investigation began when the case of Daphne Caruana came to light again. Interestingly, police were aware of the illegal operations beforehand, but after Melvin Theuma admitted to taking part in the illegal lottery, investigators paid more attention to the matter.

People have been duped and weren’t even aware of it, and this has greatly affected the online lottery’s legal sales. This is a major issue that needs to be taken care of, so it’s only natural to expect local police to pursue the case further. A resolution and an end to this will put many minds at ease and return Malta’s lottery market to normal.

How to Recognise the Legal Lottery

It’s important to know how to differentiate between a legal and illegal lottery operator. An example of a legitimate lottery operator is TheLotter in Malta. Now that people are aware of the laundering scheme Melvin runs, it’s easier to take defensive action. The below list shows what to look for in a legal lottery operator.

• Make sure that the lottery you’re participating in has a valid national lottery licence
• Check for red flags – if a deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is
• Make sure the website run by the lottery you’re participating in is secure
• Do your research on who runs the lottery

As people are now aware of this illegal operation run by Melvin Theuma, and police are taking serious action on the matter, people can have ease of mind. However, this does not mean that you should blindly partake in lottery activities without first making sure the operator you’re using is legitimate.