The Dark Side of Italy’s Football Stars: Massive Gambling Rewards!
Newly released documents reveal that Nicolo Fagioli received large sums of money for addicting other Italian football players to gambling and betting.
New revelations about the illegal betting scandal involving 12 Serie A players indicate that Nicolo Fagioli was promised cash gifts and financial rewards if he could involve more players in these betting activities—a situation that ultimately led him to bring Nicolo Zaniolo into the affair.
Both Italian national team players, Sandro Tonali and Fagioli, were introducing illegal betting websites to other players, including Alessandro Florenzi, Zaniolo, and others.
These two players had frequent contact with Tommaso Di Giacomo and Patrick Frizera, individuals identified as coordinators of the pyramid scheme that managed the players’ betting accounts on prohibited sites.
According to the latest details from player testimonies and device examinations, Fagioli was encouraged to introduce Di Giacomo to other players to expand his client base in exchange for betting credits or debt reduction.
While Fagioli denied intending to “profit from his friends,” Corriere della Sera revealed that this happened in November 2022 when a conversation between Fagioli and Di Giacomo showed that Di Giacomo had congratulated the Fiorentina midfielder for bringing Zaniolo into the scheme.
Di Giacomo wrote to Fagioli in the message: “Well done, get him… work for me… stay with him because if I can really hook him as a client, I’ll definitely give you a gift.”
In another conversation from March 2023, Fagioli appeared to request a reward, to which Di Giacomo responded: “I’ll credit you 5,000 as a gift so you can pay your ticket tonight because you brought me a client.”
In another exchange between Fagioli and Di Giacomo, Fagioli joked about Raoul Bellanova’s betting losses: “You know what’s funny? I’m the one advising him. I’m laughing… what’s my cut? Half for me? You have to credit me because I’m the one bringing clients… two losses, one win, so you owe me the difference.”
Both Fagioli and Tonali have previously faced sports bans for participating in prohibited betting, including betting on football matches. However, other accused players allegedly used illegal platforms for online poker and non-football betting—an offense that, if proven, would only subject them to a €250 fine.
