Image: Sophie Smeets
WILLEMSTAD – A vast gambling empire rooted in Northern Cyprus used online casinos in Curaçao to launder millions of dollars, according to the former financial director of the organization, Cemil Önal. He is currently detained in the Netherlands and is accused of being involved in the murder of his former employer, the Turkish-Cypriot gambling mogul Halil Falyali.
According to Önal, Curaçao provided a prime opportunity to establish gambling businesses without anyone asking about the origin of the money. Through the use of shell companies and cryptocurrency transactions, enormous sums of money were reportedly funneled through the island. Several Curaçaoan trust offices and businesses are also mentioned in the investigation, while the local regulator of online gambling remains in the background.
This case once again highlights how Curaçao plays a crucial role in the international gambling industry, with companies operating under the island's flag while being illegal in other countries. The investigative networks Follow the Money and OCCRP have been examining the millions of dollars behind Falyali's gambling empire.
By David Davidson, OCCRP
A gambling empire in Northern Cyprus generated millions through online casinos in Curaçao. That’s according to the former financial head of the organization, Cemil Önal, who is speaking from his cell in the Netherlands. He is sharing his story because he is accused of being involved in the murder of his former boss, the controversial gambling magnate Halil Falyali. Follow the Money spoke with him.
In the Netherlands, he is unknown, but in Northern Cyprus and Turkey, many recognize his name. Cemil Önal managed the finances of the Turkish-Cypriot Halil Falyali, an immensely wealthy businessman who owned, among other things, the luxury hotel Les Ambassadeurs – with a marina and casino – in the Northern Cypriot port city of Girne.
Falyali’s former ‘accountant’ has been detained in the Netherlands since 2023, at the request of Turkish authorities. They accuse him of being one of the masterminds behind Falyali's murder in 2022. He allegedly had contact with other suspects both before and after the murder. Several of these men have since been convicted in Northern Cyprus, the Turkish-controlled part of the island. Some received life sentences.
From the detention center, Falyali’s former accountant has already made his voice heard over the past few years through phone interviews with Turkish journalist Cevheri Güven. In these, Önal detailed the activities of his old boss, Falyali, which, according to him, largely revolved around the illegal gambling world.
Target
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and media partners, including Follow the Money, investigated the alleged gambling empire of Falyali.
Journalists from Malta, Greece, and Cyprus were granted access to confidential documents from the Turkish financial intelligence agency regarding Falyali's organization. From these documents, and from intensive telephone interviews with Önal from the detention center in Alphen aan den Rijn, a clear picture emerges of the money flows within the gambling empire. Önal’s statements have been verified where possible.
Turkey wants the Netherlands to extradite Önal, but he is resisting and thus shares his story with journalists. He claims that he has nothing to do with Falyali's death and that he is a target of the Turkish state due to compromising information he says he has about payments to high-ranking officials. Önal states that he made ‘sponsor payments’ to officials of government parties in Turkey and Northern Cyprus on Falyali's orders. According to him, around fifteen million dollars were involved monthly.
Falyali’s organization has attracted the attention of law enforcement agencies for at least ten years.
The fact that Önal did indeed play the role of financial head is evident, among other things, from his inclusion on Interpol’s confidential wanted list. It states that Önal "was previously responsible for the money and finances of Falyali."
Önal emphasizes that he was responsible for the finances and the setup of the associated structures, but that he did everything on Falyali’s orders.
Halil Falyali. Image: Sophie Smeets
Falyali and his chauffeur were riddled with automatic weapons in February 2022 while in their car on a rural road near Falyali's house. He was a well-known figure in Cyprus, and his violent death still receives significant attention in Turkish and Northern Cypriot media.
Falyali, a massive man, was not only incredibly wealthy but also had political connections at the highest levels in the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was often photographed with senior Turkish-Cypriot officials and made no secret of his close ties with the ruling National Unity Party (UBP).
Around 2,500 people attended his funeral, including the then-leader of the Turkish-Cypriot administration, Faiz Sucuoğlu.
In the early 2000s, he made international headlines when he and his brother attempted to buy the English football club Fulham.
According to Önal, the Gambling Sites Earned Around 80 Million Dollars Monthly
How exactly he amassed his fortune remained hidden from the public, but Falyali's organization has been attracting the attention of law enforcement agencies for at least ten years. For instance, a U.S. indictment from 2015 stated that he and his brother were allegedly involved in money laundering for drug cartels. The indictment was dropped a month after Falyali's death.
According to Önal and Turkish authorities, Falyali was the head of an international gambling empire. This network was said to consist of companies in various countries and a large number of gambling sites, with a primary focus on Turkey. Önal also claimed that the network targeted Turkish nationals in the Netherlands and Germany, although additional evidence for this is currently lacking.
Cryptowallets
Önal claimed that the illegal gambling sites generated around 80 million dollars per month. While this figure cannot be independently verified, a confidential report from Turkey’s financial intelligence agency, Masak, from 2022, indicated that approximately 100 cryptowallets (digital wallets for cryptocurrencies) were linked to Falyali's network, including one for Falyali himself.
Journalists from OCCRP calculated that since 2018, approximately 1.4 billion dollars were involved with these digital wallets. According to Önal, the organization used far more wallets than the 100 currently under scrutiny. This is also reflected in the Turkish report.
Curaçao as a Haven
Önal stated that Curaçao was a perfect solution for Falyali's organization because, according to him, no one there asks where the money from gambling companies or gambling sites comes from or where it goes. "You open a company in Curaçao for a fee. Then you open a bank account for that company. You can send or cash out as much cryptocurrency as you want. Curaçao is ideal for money laundering in terms of banking."
The Hunt for Criminal Money
What is true for the upper world is just as true for the underworld: if you want to know where the power lies, follow the money.
That Curaçao is a haven for illegal gambling sites is not new. Follow the Money regularly reports on Curaçao's policy of not obstructing gambling sites, even though these sites operate illegally in other countries.
These activities involve vast sums of money. Internationally recognized gambling brands such as Stake.com and 1xBet, which are registered through shell companies in Curaçao, generate billions in revenue.
Even smaller players are responsible for millions. This became evident in January when Follow the Money revealed that some Israeli businessmen were hiding behind shell companies in Curaçao, operating illegal gambling sites.
Falyali's alleged empire was also structured in such a way that outsiders had difficulty gaining insight. Without documents from the Turkish financial intelligence services and Önal’s statements, it would have remained a secret who was behind it.
Falyali’s Organization Under Scrutiny in Turkey
The Falyali organization is now a case receiving much attention in Turkey. Last year, 250 people were charged, with Falyali’s widow among the 35 main suspects. The organization was allegedly founded and led by Halil Falyali, offering illegal online gambling and laundering the proceeds, according to the indictment.
In Turkey, commercial entities are prohibited from offering online gambling. In January of this year, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek swore that Turkey was "determined" to prevent illegal gambling sites from harming the country’s treasury and that citizens would not fall victim to such practices.
Money Laundering via Crypto
Money laundering was an operation in itself. According to Turkey’s financial intelligence agency Masak, money from players at Falyali's attributed illegal casinos was converted into cryptocurrency and then transferred to the crypto wallets of Falyali and ten other individuals.
What stood out in the network's operations was its use of thousands of "money mules." The organization recruited students, retirees, housewives, and low-income individuals through social media ads, offering them a fee to transfer money through their bank accounts. Due to the relatively small amounts and the many mules, it went unnoticed that millions were being moved.
It is nearly impossible for outsiders to know which gambling sites belong to the ‘Falyali network,’ as ownership information is not publicly available. However, the Turkish indictment does list the names of some sites, and Önal mentions several of them as part of his former boss's empire.
Curaçao as a Hub for Gambling Sites
A large portion of these gambling sites is registered through a shell company in Curaçao, and they have official government licenses—or pending applications—for operating under Curaçao's flag.
For example, sites such as Betebet, Betcup, Yorkbet, and Vippark fall under the Curaçao shell company Total Gaming Solutions NV. The Curaçao trust office SMES represents this company on the island.
The gambling site Grandbetting, operated by the shell company Heritage BV, which also uses SMES’s services, is another example.
Emoore Trust Office’s Role
The trust office Emoore, managed by Dutch director George van Zinnicq Bergmann, is also involved. Emoore is the administrator of Longterm Interactive NV, which operates gambling sites like Imajbet, a site mentioned by both Önal and in official Turkish documents.
Emoore has frequently been associated with misconduct. In January, it was revealed that the office played a key role in a Bulgarian-Israeli gambling network, which targeted European countries without the necessary permits.
OCCRP and Follow the Money presented these findings to both trust offices and the Gaming Control Board (GCB), Curaçao's regulator for online gambling companies.
The Curaçao regulator and SMES did not respond, while Van Zinnicq Bergmann of Emoore referred to an email he previously sent to Follow the Money. In it, he stated that Emoore respects legislation in other countries and would take measures if necessary. According to Emoore, the Curaçao regulator would revoke a license if needed.
Meanwhile, Falyali's alleged empire continues to thrive. The gambling sites mentioned in various reports and indictments are still active. Whether they are still being managed from Northern Cyprus is unclear. According to Önal, the operation has since shifted from Northern Cyprus to Dubai.
Falyali’s widow, Özge Taşker, reportedly has numerous assets in the Emirate. In 2023, she purchased luxury real estate in Dubai worth 62 million dollars, according to data obtained by OCCRP. She has not responded to questions about the origin of these assets. Authorities in Turkey and the UBP, the ruling party in Northern Cyprus, have also not responded to requests for comment.
Follow the Money worked on this investigation with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Times of Malta, Amphora Media (Malta), Hetq (Armenia), Investigative Reporting Lab Macedonia, Belarusian Investigative Center, and Shteg.org (Albania).