Austrian police destroy 107 illegal gaming machines

Police in Salzburg have destroyed 107 illegal gaming machines after a series of raids in the city. 

Austria.- The Salzburg State Police Department has announced that it has destroyed 107 illegal gaming machines that were seized in eight raids carried out between May 2020 and May 2021.

The machines were seized and destroyed after confiscation notices were issued to those operating them. The police department said it also seized €4,343 that had been gambled on illegal machines over the 12 month period.

Police in Austria have been clamping down on illegal gambling over the past 18 months after reports of a rise in illegal gambling in urban centres. Officers across the country carried out 276 raids between January and July 2021.

Together, the raids have led to the confiscation of 581 illegal gaming machines, 142 criminal applications and more than €9m in fines, including €1.9m in Salzburg.

Last month, police seized 121 illegal gaming machines in a massive series of simultaneous raids on 39 locations in Linz, Linz-Land, Steyr and Wels in central and eastern Austria. In June, police carried out simultaneous raids on 17 clandestine gambling establishments.

Attempts to hide illegal gaming machines

Establishments often take measures to try to avoid being detected by police. Machines are often hidden behind mirrored or wallpapered doors, and venues often use reinforced doors in a bid to give themselves time to disconnect devices before the police can enter in raids.

Some venues even use fog machines to produce gas and disrupt officers’ attempts to detect illegal gaming machines.

Austria’s finance minister Gernot Blümel said: “The close networking and good cooperation between different authorities is a guarantee to successfully fight against fraud.

“It is not always easy for officers, considering irritant gas systems, electrified doors and other traps during gambling raids. We try to give our units the best possible support in the fight against crime through first-class training and equipment.”