Crackdown on unlawful gambling activities in Austria: 165 law enforcers participate in 19 property raids
Austria's law enforcement scores a win against organized crime with Operation IKARUS. As per the Austrian Ministry of the Interior's announcement, on March 6, 2024, a total of 19 property searches were conducted in Upper and Lower Austria. These operations targeted gambling establishments, company headquarters, and private dwellings.
Illicit Gambling Operators in Austria Evade Over 10 Million Euros in Taxes
According to an article from news outlet OTS, authorities from the police, tax investigations department, and tax office uncovered that 10 million euros in taxes had been evaded by illegal gambling operators. This represented unpaid gambling taxes and value-added tax.
Additionally, there are suspicions that hundreds of thousands of euros have been withheld from social security due to undeclared work. During the raids, computers, company documents, large sums of money, and safety deposit boxes were also confiscated. Austria's Finance Minister Magnus Brunner praised the results of the operations at 16 locations:
The strong collaboration and teamwork between various authorities is the key to the successful fight against illegal gambling. This success is a testament to the investigators' persistence. Illegal gambling lacks player protection and can ruin lives. Each illegal gaming machine removed from the streets is an important milestone in the fight against illegal gambling, which we will continue to pursue. I want to thank all the involved forces.– Magnus Brunner, Finance Minister of Austria, Austrian Ministry of the Interior**
Raids Against Illegal Gambling in Germany and Switzerland
In recent times, there have been increased raids against illegal gambling in Germany. In a raid in Frankfurt in February 2024, around 230 police and tax investigation officers seized over 60 illegal slot machines and apprehended one individual.
In February 2024, there was a raid on an illegal casino in the Cologne district of Ehrenfeld where around 40 people were found playing on illegal slot machines. The authorities had received a tip about the illegal casino from the public.
Switzerland also frequently conducts raids against illegal gambling operators. The cantonal police in Bern conducts between 30 and 40 raids against illegal gambling each year. In early February 2024, several thousand francs in cash, laptops, and slot machines, for which no license was obtained, were confiscated by the officers.
Further Gambling Raids in Greece
In addition to the searches in Austria, there was also a gambling raid in Athens, Greece, on March 6, 2024. Various locations were searched by local authorities.
Greece is further promoting legal gambling. Hard Rock is building the largest casino in Europe on the former Athens airport site. Furthermore, Greece has joined as the 19th member of the lottery cooperation Eurojackpot.
Regular raids by authorities aim to combat illegal gambling. The state also misses out on essential revenue as illegal operators do not pay taxes and gambling duties. Additionally, players enjoy no player protection in illegal gambling.
In light of Austria's successful crackdown on illegal gambling, some might argue that regulators in Germany should consider emulating similar tactics. For instance, exploring online casinos in Germany could potentially yield significant tax revenues and provide necessary player protection.
Germany, like Austria, could benefit from addressing online casinos falling under the grey market, as it's reported that these informal platforms often evade taxes and lack important player protections.
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