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An investigative report has unveiled a network of illicit online gambling operations, prominently promoted in European football venues, all tracing back to a single entity at the core of the industry.
The report, released by a leading cloud network security enterprise, reveals a purported cybercrime network from China, termed “Vigorish Viper” — a moniker inspired by the bookmaker’s commission — which is implicated in driving an underground gambling market estimated at $1.7 trillion yearly. This network is also purportedly connected to cyber fraud and human trafficking activities in Southeast Asia.
This network offers a comprehensive suite of technologies for mobile gambling platforms, encompassing software, web hosting, DNS management, payment processing, and app development. The technology is attributed to Yabo Group, a company that, as per an investigative sports news source, secured sponsorship agreements with top European football clubs, including Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Subsequent to these agreements, the Chinese government targeted the company in a sustained campaign against offshore gambling, prompted by concerns over capital flight. The company was charged with international manipulation and local subversion, allegedly enlisting 80,000 local agents and luring close to six million bettors. A significant number of arrests were made, leading to the apparent dissolution of Yabo Group.
However, the investigation revealed that Yabo Group gave rise to several derivatives, which were “cleaned and transformed into new entities such as Kaiyun Sports and KM Gaming,” among others.
Despite appearing autonomous, these new entities are not, the report indicates. Collectively, they form a supply chain that allows Vigorish Viper to persist in its operations with reduced oversight.
Through DNS analysis, the investigators linked the various brands together. For instance, the domain for KB Sports was registered under “yabo” in 2020.
KB Sports secured a three-year sponsorship in the same year with FC Girondins, a French football team, enabling it to display advertisements in the stadium. The gambling site, as per the report, is not accessible in Europe but is available in Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China, where despite legal prohibitions, gambling thrives.
The report also highlights that Vigorish Viper’s websites seem to have actual personnel for customer support. In a separate report, Yabo Group was associated with human trafficking, specifically forced labor in a cyber fraud facility in Cambodia, where individuals were coerced into supporting the gambling operations.
In this facility, trafficked individuals were also compelled to engage in “pig butchering” scams, where scammers form relationships with victims before deceiving them into sham investments.
A recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report emphasized how online casinos have expanded their operations into cyberfraud activities.
The significance of this investigation lies in its linkage of tangible crimes like human trafficking, money laundering, and fraud with cybercrime, a connection not previously established. It reveals the sophisticated tactics of organized crime, leveraging unsuspecting European football clubs to perpetuate their criminal endeavors.
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