5Dimes Investigation Not Happening in Costa Rica

After months of rumors on online forums and the gambling media, Costa Rican government officials have thrown cold water on the suggestion that they are investigating 5Dimes for money laundering.
The story, which seemed odd given the cozy relations between the Costa Rican government and the online sports betting behemoth, was the result of rumors posted on online forums.
Rumors of a supposed investigation were likely based on an actual investigation of 5Dimes employee in March. That investigation, however, had nothing to do with 5Dimes and was centered around suspicious money transfers to Malta and Dubai.
In an interview with the Costa Rican newspaper, La Nacion the country’s deputy prosecutor in Costa Rica’s Office of Money Laundering took pains to make clear that his office was not investigating 5Dimes. Not only is 5Dimes not under investigation, he said, but gambling is not illegal in the country.
Costa Rican officials also made it clear that the investigation that isn’t happening also didn’t have anything to do with US bettors. (The US Homeland Security Department recently investigated 5Dimes for paying off US-based bettors with Amazon.com gift cards.)
Costa Rica, which is known as a pretty “live-and-let-live” place, has been more than happy to play host to lots of online sportsbooks over the years. The country is also happy that since 2012, it’s been collecting a payroll tax from Costa Rican-based bookies that’s a sliding scale based on the size of the company’s payroll.
That same Costa Rican official said the country would, however, cooperate with Homeland Security on issues involving drug trafficking and terrorism.