Betsson Affiliate Manager Charged With Money Laundering & Fraud

The online gaming industry has strict regulations both in the United States and Europe but there are still a number of loopholes that can be exploited by crafty individuals who can pilfer, defraud both online gamblers and companies by using a number of techniques.

Betsson, an online gaming company recently announced that one of its key affiliate managers had used his position to manipulate the process and take part in fraud and money laundering activities that allowed him to steal close to €153,000. The 41 year old Dutch account manager Christiaan Alexander Van Dalen is alleged to have created fake player accounts and manipulate his online traffic to blow up his commissions.

Van Dalen was hired to play the role of a farmer and build strong relationships between Betsson and its existing clientele. He decided to create a number of online casino websites and would later retag existing players using his affiliate account and present them as new players, thereby earning affiliate commissions on those sign-ups. The affiliate commission derived from these sign-ups would be deposited into e-wallet accounts and would later be transferred to his Neteller account or to his wife’s bank account in HSBC. There are also reports of €35,000 being transferred into the Philippines into a bank account held by Van Dalen’s wife.

A significant amount of the €153,000 has already been spent and the authorities suspect that Van Dalen has used the money to purchase real estate in the Philippines. The authorities requested the judge to freeze all accounts of Van Dalen and his wife to ensure that they do not withdraw or transfer anymore funds.

The legal team that represented Van Dalen did not want the court to freeze the bank account of Van Dalen’s wife. In a statement, the lawyer for Van Dalen said

If the legislator said you can accuse ABC and issue a freezing order against any other person on earth that makes no sense…the law does not give you the prerogative or the right to freeze monies belonging to a third party.

However prosecuting attorney Ian Vella Galea told the judge that it was very clear that Van Dalen was controlling his wife’s bank account and the only way to safeguard the remaining funds was to ensure that both bank accounts were immediately frozen. The judge decided to issue an order to freeze all bank accounts, did not grant bail and asked the director of prisons to ensure that Van Dalen does not get access to a computer as it would give him the opportunity to manipulate the evidence in question.