French Poker Pro Grégoire Auzoux Arrested, Accused of Running Offshore Casino

• French poker star accused of major illegal gambling operation.
• Crésus Casino allegedly generated nearly €1B in revenues.
• Authorities seized assets amid money laundering investigation.
  

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Professional poker player Grégoire Auzoux has been arrested and charged in France with operating an offshore online casino that targeted French customers and racked up hundreds of millions of euros in revenues.

Auzoux is one of two French nationals accused of overseeing, though not owning, the Crésus Casino and other affiliated brands, including Jackpot Bob, Lucky 8, casino-privé, and Olympecasino. These operations were based in Curaçao and Cyprus and generated nearly one billion euros in revenues, according to prosecutors.

Auzoux is well known in high-stakes poker circles and has grossed more than $3.3 million in live tournament earnings. This includes a $1.05 million score at a 2023 Triton event and a $223,500 win at the Onyx Super High Roller Series in Cyprus this summer, according to the Hendon Mob database.

Some Customers Unpaid

Authorities were alerted to the site’s existence after victims came forward, complaining they were unable to withdraw their winnings. Prosecutors cited a total loss of €201,755 (US$234K) for the customers that identified themselves.

Crésus Casino is accused of playing a game of cat and mouse with French authorities, reappearing under new mirror domain names after its main site, Cresuscasino.com, was blocked by order of France’s gambling authority, ANJ.

More than 98% of the activity was aimed at French residents, representing more than one million monthly visits,” Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a press release Friday.

Raids and seizures of bank accounts were carried out at “the home of one of the two French nationals” in Cyprus, as part of judicial cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus under the aegis of the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust), Beccuau added.

Organized Crime, Money Laundering

On Friday, the two accused appeared in front of a judge in Paris and were formally charged with organizing illegal gambling, operating as part of an organized gang, illegally offering online gaming, and money laundering.

France has stepped up its fight against unlicensed online gaming in recent years, with ANJ leaning on court-ordered blocks and public warnings to steer players back to the regulated market. Last year, the agency warned of the consumer risks around unlicensed sites, from payment fraud to the lack of dispute protections.