U.S. media reports released last week list several I-gaming companies in connection with a terrorism plot, which, in November 2005, was foiled by British authorities.
Two conspirators, Waseem Mughal, 24, and Younis Tsouli, 23, had plotted to set off a large car bomb in central London. The two were subsequently charged with a lengthy list of offenses, including conspiracy to commit murder. A third man, Tariq Al-Daour, 21, was also charged with fundraising offenses in connection to the plot.
The Washington Post reported Friday that the three men had maintained their innocence during the course of the trial, though last week changed their pleas to guilty. On Wednesday, the trio was sentenced to prison terms ranging from six-and-a-half to 10 years.
Materials gathered by law enforcement officials suggest that the three men used stolen credit card numbers at hundreds of online stores to purchase materials that "other jihadists might need in the field," the report said. The Post also said that, according to authorities, the men "laundered money from stolen credit card accounts through more than a dozen online gambling sites."
More specifically, it said, Al-Daour laundered money through I-gaming sites using accounts set up with stolen credit card numbers and victims' identities. AbsolutePoker.com, Betfair.com, BetonBet.com, Canbet.com, Eurobet.com, NoblePoker.com and ParadisePoker.com were allegedly among 43 different sites where the group conducted 350 transactions, using more than 130 compromised credit card accounts.
Winnings were then withdrawn and transferred to online bank accounts under their control, the report said.
Betfair communications director Mark Davies told IGN that the company was surprised to see its name mentioned in the report.
"It's a difficult one, to be honest," he said. "We're very surprised to see our name in the article, because we know our protection systems in this area are highly robust--not just for gambling Web sites but for Web companies in general."
Davies added that the company had contacted the Post, though said that the paper could not provide any information that substantively backed the claim.
"We contacted the Washington Post to ask what there was of substance to back up the fact that we had been mentioned in their article, and they replied that they couldn't give us any information.
"That obviously makes it hard for us to follow up," Davies continued, "but we do have our security teams reviewing the closed-loop systems we have in place, which ensure that if you deposit from one place, you also withdraw to it. If there is any further information we'd be very happy to see it, because if there genuinely are weaknesses in the system, we will work out how we strengthen them."