Law enforcement crackdown on illicit gaming in Austria: 165 officers participating in 19 property raids
In a coordinated effort to combat illegal gambling and associated financial crimes, authorities in Austria, Greece, and other European countries have launched a series of raids and investigations.
On March 6, 2024, Austrian police conducted Operation IKARUS, involving 19 house searches in Upper and Lower Austria. According to reports, computers, company documents, large amounts of money, and safes were secured during the raids. The operation was a joint effort between local authorities, tax officials, and finance office officials, who suspect that several hundred thousand euros have been withheld from social security due to black work in the illegally operating gambling venues.
Austria's Finance Minister, Magnus Brunner, commented on the success of the controls, praising the close networking and good cooperation between different authorities. Minister Brunner also thanked all the participating deployment forces for their efforts.
The illegal gambling activities in Austria are linked to issues such as tax evasion and social security fraud, often through unregulated or covert gambling operations like underground poker games. These illegal activities generate revenue that is hidden from tax authorities, enabling evasion of taxes and social security contributions.
Similar raids were conducted in Athens, Greece, on the same day. The Greek authorities joined as the 19th member of the lottery cooperation Eurojackpot, but the state misses out on crucial revenue as illegal operators do not pay taxes and gambling duties in Greece. Regular raids by authorities aim to curb illegal gambling in Greece.
Meanwhile, in Germany and Switzerland, no specific information was provided about any raids against illegal gambling. However, it is known that Switzerland conducts between 30 and 40 raids against illegal gambling each year. In Cologne, Germany, a raid on an illegal casino in February 2024 found around 40 people playing on illegal slot machines. In Bern, Switzerland, officials confiscated several thousand francs in cash, laptops, and slot machines without a license in early February 2024.
The European Union imposes strict anti-money laundering (AML) and regulatory controls on legal gambling operators to prevent money laundering, tax evasion, and fraud. Failure to comply can result in heavy fines and legal consequences, thus illegal gambling circumvents these regulatory frameworks and enables illicit financial flows.
Minister Brunner stated that the persistence of the investigators is bearing fruit and that the fight against illegal gambling will continue with undiminished vigor. The minister's statement reflects the ongoing efforts to ensure financial transparency and consumer protection in the gambling sector, as well as the importance of curtailing unlawful activities that pose risks to the economy and society.
What was the focus of the joint operation between multiple European countries on March 6, 2024? It was casino-and-gambling, particularly targeting illegal gambling venues and associated financial crimes, which fall under general-news and crime-and-justice categories. The success of the operation, including the seizure of computers, documents, money, and safes, was in line with the ongoing efforts to ensure financial transparency and consumer protection, and to curtail unlawful activities that pose risks to the economy and society.
