The Italian Mafia’s former fugitive and ’Ndrangheta-linked gambling operator Mario Gennaro is facing new problems with his rebuilt business empire after repackaging his gambling operations for African clients.
The operator behind a secretive network of gambling companies that targeted African clients for sports betting and casino gambling, including through cryptocurrency payments, thought that the spotlight The Maltese Herald threw on his operations was unjustified and sought various legal means to halt our investigation.
We resisted the legal intimidation and refused to take down our investigation.
Apparently, history has proved us right once again.
As The Maltese Herald revealed last year, Gennaro’s gambling empire did not disappear. Instead, it was rebuilt through a new network centred partly in Spain and operating under brands including PlayLogicIQ. The network subsequently expanded heavily into African markets.
Ethiopia was one of those markets. According to information obtained by The Maltese Herald, PlayLogicIQ established itself there through Best Bet PLC, while companies and platforms connected to the network included Chatki.bet and Konjo.bet.
Then the Ethiopian government pulled the plug on the entire industry.
On 15th December 2025, Ethiopia revoked the operating licences of all sports-betting companies in the country following a nationwide investigation into the sector. The Ethiopian Lottery Service said the investigation had uncovered breaches of licensing agreements, illegal activities, illicit financial transfers, money laundering concerns and activities that posed threats to national security. The ban applied to online, physical and agent-based betting operations alike.
The crackdown had begun earlier in December with the suspension of 22 betting companies and arrests connected to allegations that operators had concealed more than 100 billion birr in revenue that should have been reported to the government.
Now another important African market for Mario Gennaro’s gambling network is producing problems.
Kenyan online gambling company Shabiki has recently faced allegations from players concerning bonuses and winnings that they say were promised but not properly paid or honoured. Shabiki is one of Kenya’s better-known online betting and casino platforms and offers sports betting, jackpots and thousands of online casino games.
Shabiki is formally operated by PlayCo Technology Limited, which is listed by Kenya’s Gambling Regulatory Authority as an operator with its betting and public-gaming licences currently under renewal.
What has not previously been publicly reported is the company’s connection to Mario Gennaro’s network.
The Maltese Herald can reveal that Shabiki used gambling services supplied by PlayLogic, with PlayLogic acting as Shabiki’s administrator. However, at this stage we can not confirm the ownership of PlayCo.
The complaints against Shabiki are particularly sensitive because Kenya has recently overhauled its gambling laws. Under the Gambling Control Act, online gambling operators are subject to specific obligations concerning players’ funds and winnings. Among other things, monetary prizes won through online gambling are supposed to be credited to a player’s account within two days.
Kenya has also established a new Gambling Regulatory Authority and introduced a much tougher licensing framework for online bookmakers, casinos, gambling platforms and gambling-service providers.
The latest controversy surrounding Shabiki is now adding fuel to an already heated political debate about online gambling in Kenya. The Maltese Herald has been informed that some Kenyan politicians are considering whether the country should go significantly further and follow Ethiopia’s route by banning online gambling altogether.
If that happens, Mario Gennaro could lose yet another important market for the business network he rebuilt after the Italian authorities dismantled much of his previous gambling empire.
The irony is difficult to miss.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
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