Italian giants Roma embroiled in online betting scandal

The headquarters of Italy's Serie A Champions AS Roma have been raided as part of an ongoing investigation into the promotion of internet betting.

UK online bookmaker Eurobet, owned by Corel, is at the centre of the latest scandal to rock Italian football, as police probe the company's links with the Rome club.

Gambling in Italy is heavily regulated, with online bookies falling into a particularly grey area of the law, and Eurobet is not licensed by the country's governing authority, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) or the state. Despite failing to meet these two vital criteria, advertising hoardings promoting the company were clearly displayed at Roma's clash with Serie A rivals Juventus.

Police raided Roma's headquarters in attempt to find out who was behind the decision to allocate the advertising space in Roma's Olympic Stadium - also owned by CONI.

The issue of internet gambling is a matter of global concern, as there is nothing stopping punters around the world, regardless of local laws, placing bets on websites which are registered in countries where gambling is legal.

The relationship between gambling and Italian football has been subject of great concern for the authorities in the past and the proliferation of online gambling threatens to increase concerns.

Last season was marred by match-fixing allegations centring on Serie A club Atalanta. AS Roma are also no strangers to scandal - in 1999 the club gave Rolex watches, worth up to $13,000 to all 39 league referees. The men in black were promptly ordered to return the inappropriate Christmas presents.