Illegal gambling: gang evaded more than 10 million euros

The Federal Criminal Police Office and the Anti-Fraud Office in the Ministry of Finance have been investigating a group of perpetrators in the area of ​​illegal gambling for months. It’s about tax fraud in the double-digit million range, organized undeclared work and social benefit fraud. Last Wednesday, 19 house searches were carried out in eastern Austria and abroad as part of the investigations also underway in Greece under the code name “Operation Ikarus”.

165 officers on duty

On behalf of the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, 165 emergency services from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK), financial police and tax investigation, the tax office for special responsibilities, customs office, EKO Cobra, Vienna State Criminal Police Office and the Rapid Reaction Forces (SRK) Upper Austria were deployed, the Interior Ministry reported on Saturday. They carried out house searches at 16 locations in Upper and Lower Austria. At the same time, the Greek financial police carried out three house searches in Athens and the surrounding area.

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Dozens of gaming venues in Upper Austria

“Among other things, gaming establishments, company headquarters and private homes were searched and several hundred gaming establishments, PCs, documents, large amounts of cash including the contents of bank safe deposit boxes were confiscated and accounts were frozen,” according to the investigators. The perpetrators operated dozens of bars with illegal gaming machines in Upper Austria through a network of front companies and fake residences. The devices were “electronically controlled and monitored from Greece”.

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Warehouse as a repair workshop

The group is said to have evaded more than ten million euros in gambling taxes and sales tax alone. There is also a suspicion that social security contributions amounting to several hundred thousand euros were withheld from social security through organized undeclared work and that the corresponding income taxes were not paid. “Several people also received unemployment benefits while working in the illegal gambling establishments,” it said.

A warehouse in the Linz-Land district is said to have served as a service and repair workshop from which the illegal bars were supplied with machines. During the house searches, the accused were identified and questioned.

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“Can destroy livelihoods”

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) praised the cooperation between the two ministries and internationally in the “fight against illegal migration”. Finance Minister Magnus Brunner emphasized: “Illegal gambling has no player protection and can destroy livelihoods. Every illegal machine taken out of circulation is an important building block in the fight against illegal gambling, which we will continue unabated.” BK director Andreas Holzer described “OP Ikarus” as a “great success”.

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