Sheriff Gaming’s parent company suffer CEO arrested, over money laundering

Dutch police have arrested a group of four men, one thought to be the CEO of the parent company of online 3D slots developer Sheriff Gaming, on charges of money laundering. The news, which has shocked the online gaming community, comes as a total surprise, at a time when Sheriff Gaming is seeing unprecedented growth and becoming one of the big leaders of the online casino software development industry.

The arrests last week were followed by a court appearance in Den Bosch, where the accused were facing charges of forgery, illegal gambling, money laundering and involvement in criminal organisation, much to surprise of many. The arrests come after a long and lengthy procedure and investigation in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Belgium concerning the gambling, during which no less than 100 bank accounts and 80 resident and business properties were seized by the relevant authorities on the matter. As a result of the seizures, the four men were also arrested.

Sheriff Gaming’s parent company, Bubble Group NV’s CEO, Stijn Flapper, was amongst the four men, which also includes Michel and Maurice Gregoire, and an unnamed man, listed only as a financial advisor to the men. It is thought that Michel Gregoire is the leader of the group, who the authorities claim to have laundering millions of euros by setting up illegal gaming domains.

Over €110m is thought to have be laundered, bagging the three men between €30m and €50m, which is certainly no small sum, even when split three ways. Earlier in the year, the trio (the Gregoires and Flapper) had appeared in Quote’s young millionaires list, something the publication claims they were quite unhappy about, and if the accusations are proved true, it will be easy to see why.

It has not been an easy time for Bubble Group NV and Sheriff Gaming. In September, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission suspended their gaming license. Sheriff Gaming have however, more privately, been enjoying a whale of a time in the gaming world, with many considering them the leading company in the development of 3D slots, whose titles appear at some of the biggest online casinos on the internet.

A message on Sheriff Gaming’s website claims that whilst they await the outcome, business with continue as usual for them. They have however stated that Mr Flapper has been invited for an “official interview at police headquarters”. No doubt Mr Flapper is currently, flapping!