In a recent exposé reported in the media, a clandestine network of illegal online gambling brands has been uncovered. These brands, whose advertisements are prominently displayed in football stadiums across Europe, are all interconnected and form the backbone of the industry.
The report, released by cloud network security firm Infoblox, uncovers an alleged Chinese cybercrime syndicate, dubbed Vigorish Viper. This group, named after the fee charged by a bookmaker, is reportedly fueling an illicit global gambling economy estimated to be worth around $1.7 trillion annually. Disturbingly, the syndicate is also allegedly linked to cyber fraud-related human trafficking in Southeast Asia.
Vigorish Viper offers a comprehensive technology suite for mobile betting applications. This includes software, website hosting, domain name system configurations, payment systems, and mobile apps. According to the researchers, this technology was developed by a company known as Yabo Group. This group has reportedly struck sponsorship deals with some of Europe’s most prominent football clubs, including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and AS Monaco.
However, following these agreements, Chinese authorities targeted Yabo Group as part of a prolonged crackdown on offshore gambling, driven by concerns over capital outflow. The company was accused of “overseas manipulation and domestic infiltration,” having allegedly recruited 80,000 “domestic agents” and attracted nearly six million gamblers. This led to thousands of arrests and the apparent dissolution of Yabo Group.
Despite this, the researchers discovered that the company had also developed a variety of offshoots, which were “laundered into a series of new entities, including Kaiyun Sports, KM Gaming, Ponymuah, and SKG.” While these new companies may appear independent at first glance, the evidence suggests otherwise. Together, these newly established companies form a supply chain that allows Vigorish Viper to continue its operations with less scrutiny.
Dark underbelly of operations
Through an analysis of DNS data, the researchers were able to establish connections between the various brands. For instance, the domain for KB Sports was registered under the name “yabo” in 2020. That same year, KB Sports entered into a three-year sponsorship deal with the French football club FC Girondins, granting it pitchside advertising rights. Interestingly, while the gambling operator’s website is not accessible in Europe, it is available in Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China, where gambling is a massive industry despite its illegality.
The researchers also discovered that customer support on Vigorish Viper’s websites appears to be provided by actual staff. In a report by the Asian Racing Federation Council, Yabo Group was linked to human trafficking, specifically involving forced labour in a cyber fraud compound in Cambodia. Here, individuals were allegedly tasked with supporting the company’s betting operations.
Within this facility, trafficked workers were also forced to participate in pig butchering scams, where fraudsters develop a relationship with victims before tricking them into making fraudulent investments. A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime detailed how online casinos had diversified their business lines into cyber fraud operations.
Renée Burton, vice president of Infoblox threat intelligence said that these findings were significant, stating, “This work is particularly important because it connects the physical crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, and fraud, to online crime in a way that hasn’t been done before. We can now see that organized crime is executing a cunning strategy that uses unwitting European clubs to fuel their criminal cycle.”
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