Former EU Commissioner accused of money laundering through gambling

Former EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders is suspected of having laundered hundreds of thousands of euros through gambling bets. The investigation has been ongoing for several weeks. It is not yet clear where the money came from. Reynders is keeping quiet. Was a gambling addiction the decisive factor or are there other, possibly dubious reasons behind it?

Money laundering has always been a sensitive issue in gambling, but today's digital possibilities have made it even more relevant. Online platforms, electronic transactions and cryptocurrencies offer numerous loopholes, despite the extensive upgrading measures taken by gambling providers, financial service providers and law enforcement authorities. In our reporting some time ago, we asked ourselves how easy money laundering in online casinos really is.

Explosive events happen all the time, such as in early 2025 when the Australian Taxation and Customs Authority (AUSTRAC ) issued a press release announcing that bwin parent company Entain had allegedly breached money laundering and terrorist financing laws Down Under. But rarely is there as much attention in the mainstream press as in the case of former EU Commissioner Didier Reynders.

Investigative media and national newspapers reported that several homes were searched and Reynders had to undergo police questioning. The central issue was the questionable origin of around one million euros. His wife was also questioned about this. The investigations also extend to transactions outside the National Lottery.

Reynders himself attributes his behavior to a gambling addiction. The National Lottery has a different opinion. Apparently they had been keeping an eye on the politician for several years. Here's the full story.

Didier Reynders is said to have laundered money through gambling for years

While others hope for their luck when playing the lottery, Didier Reynders seems to have been almost challenging it for years: Namely with conspicuous gambling habits that have now brought investigators onto the scene. The former EU Commissioner is said to have used a simple but effective method to channel large sums of cash through the Belgian national lottery.

• According to the findings so far, Reynders bought so-called e-tickets for years. These are digital vouchers worth between 1 and 100 euros that can be transferred to a player account with the lottery. A significant proportion of these vouchers are said to have been paid for in cash. Reynders played with the balance and eventually transferred the wins from his digital account with the National Lottery to his personal current account.
• His wife also used this strategy. According to press reports, the two almost exhausted the maximum permitted annual depositor limit of 25,000 euros with their lottery accounts and were not idle. Their bets apparently paid off, as at least 15,000 euros in wins are said to have been booked in their accounts each year.

It was the National Lottery itself that got the case rolling. The internal warning systems were triggered by the Reynders' activities, of which the players now under observation were of course unaware. They continued to act in the same way - until the matter was finally referred to the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office.

The authorities are looking for answers, meanwhile Reynders denies all accusations. His lawyer stated that his client had not engaged in any illegal activities. An explanation of his own? Not a word.

In addition to the lottery transactions, certain banking transactions also came to the attention of the investigators. According to Belgian media, over one million euros was deposited in cash, with suspicious money movements dating back to 2010. According to the reports, Reynders used a whopping 200,000 euros to buy lottery tickets. He distributed the remaining 800,000 euros across various bank accounts. The origin of the money remains completely unclear.

Speaking of "media reports" and "money laundering": in December 2022, there was an interesting article in the SZ entitled "Why the mafia is a fan of Malta's online casinos", which we took a closer look at.

Reynders had apparently been the focus of the authorities for some time

New information suggests that Didier Reynders' gambling behavior had been on the radar of the Belgian National Lottery for several years and that the authorities had long since been involved.

• The effectiveness of the National Lottery's control mechanisms has recently been the subject of heated debate in the Belgian federal parliament. How could such a conspicuous pattern remain unchecked for years? The lottery responded to the criticism with harsh words and a 12-page memo in which it took a stand against what it described as "unjustified attacks on its reputation". In it, the company emphasized that a "very thorough investigation" had already been carried out in 2022 and that the purchases had been reported to the relevant authorities.
• Reynders' pattern had first come to light a year earlier. in 2021, the National Lottery noticed that a single sales outlet was issuing an unusually high number of electronic vouchers - so many that an internal investigation was launched. The result was explosive: most of these e-tickets could be traced back to two player accounts that could be assigned to a "politically sensitive person". The suspicions were confirmed and the lottery called in external experts.
• The renowned auditing and consulting firm KPMG was commissioned to carry out an in-depth analysis. Their findings finally culminated in an official report to the Office of the Attorney General in March 2022.

In a rather curious case from spring 2024, a 26-year-old trainee was accused of money laundering because he had wins transferred to his bank account from an online casino that was illegal in Germany.

Gambling addiction or clever move? Reynders' explanation raises questions

According to Belgian media reports, Reynders is said to have stated during questioning that he suffers from a gambling addiction. This is said to be the reason for his regular gambling investments, which ultimately amounted to around 200,000 euros. However, this version is anything but convincing for the other side.

Rather, the scam is reminiscent of people who want to smuggle black money through the system. As can be read in the press, they themselves accept high losses of 30 percent and more because ultimately it is not the win that is important to them, but the opportunity to conceal questionable sources of cash.

Reynders himself remains tight-lipped. In an initial brief statement to the Belga news agency, his lawyer said that Reynders would make "all the necessary statements about the management of his private assets" before the competent judge. The criminal charges were "formally denied." The once eloquent politician has been out of the public eye for weeks.

Source of the image: https://pixabay.com/photos/money-laundering-money-finance-7782671/

Central text sources: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/ermittlungen-geldwaesche-reynders-100.html, https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.geldwaesche-das-grosse-schweigen-des-didier-reynders.fbcf9faa-e093-41d5-bad8-fb434fa8cfa5.html, https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/de/2024/12/06/geldwaesche-ermittlungen-gegen-ex-eu-kommissar-reynders-summe-v/, https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/de/2024/12/11/die-nationallotterie-reagiert-auf-die-moeglichen-geldwaescheprak/