Gambling - new cross-border research in South-Eastern Europe

The investigation "in six countries shows that the real winners are businessmen with shady pasts, criminal records and connections to powerful people," according to the reportingproject.net website, where all articles are gathered.

"Using their influence to build monopolies and to corrupt local officials," the site continues, "these owners take advantage of regulations so lax they are often ignored entirely. The public, meanwhile, must deal with gambling addiction and crime related to the betting world."

The project was led by Sorin Ozon from the Romanian Center for Investigative Journalism with reporting cooperation from CIN Bosnia, CIN Serbia, BIJC in Sofia and reporters in Macedonia and elsewhere, according to news on the Global Investigative Journalism mailinglist.