A few days ago, an interesting documentary entitled ‘Tatort Eckkneipe: Auf den Spuren der Glücksspiel-Mafia’ was shown on NDR. The documentary, which lasts around 40 minutes, is about the suspected fraud involving millions in manipulated slot machines. The research by NDR/WDR/SZ provides insights into a world of its own.

We at GambleJoe have already reported on illegal gaming machines and organised crime several times in the past. Almost exactly a year ago, for example, we wrote about a major raid against illegal gambling in Hamburg. Now NDR has published an exciting documentary entitled ‘Crime scene corner pub: On the trail of the gambling mafia’. The journalists spent a long period of time travelling with law enforcement officers during investigations and raids

Illegal slot machines: players could gamble away hundreds of euros in just a few minutes

At the beginning of the NDR documentary, the journalists accompanied a business

inspection by the public order office and police. The investigators discovered three illegal gaming machines in the very first premises. Surprisingly, there was obviously no employee on the premises. The suspected service employee stated that she was merely visiting her friend and was a guest. After opening a slot machine, it was discovered that much more money had been gambled away within a few minutes than is legally permitted.

Specifically, the overview shows deposits at the machine:

  • 10.04.24, 12:01 p.m.: 50.00 euros
  • 10.04.24, 12:03 p.m.: 50.00 euros
  • 10.04.24, 12:04 p.m.: 100.00 euros
  • 10.04.24, 12:19 p.m.: 50.00 euros
  • 10/04/24, 12:21 p.m.: 50.00 euros

As a result, it was obviously possible to deposit a total of 350 euros on a single slot machine in just 20 minutes. The law stipulates that the loss per hour must be limited to 60 euros.

Investigators arrive with Flex and break open the slot machines

The journalists are also present when the investigators break open several slot machines by force, as those responsible claim not to have a key for them. The search is on for a blue button inside the machine that unlocks the statistics and the menu. One click later, the surprise: turnover totalling several hundred thousand euros was generated on just one single illegal slot machine. Last autumn, we reported on GambleJoe that 3 illegal slot machines generated a profit of 192,000 euros in one year.

An insider stated in the documentary that he suspected that a single slot machine could generate a monthly turnover of up to 70,000 euros at a very busy location. As the illegal gaming machines are not registered and therefore no taxes are paid, the money flows directly into the pockets of the criminal operators.

During the raid in Hamburg, which was accompanied by the TV team, the investigators even came across an illegal slot machine that has earned the operator over eight million euros to date. Despite being ten to 20 years old, the monthly turnover over the years is likely to have been impressive. It was only this summer that we reported that the LKA was complaining about a lack of resources against illegal gambling in NRW.

Bochum District Court: Four people on trial for gang tax evasion

A few days ago, the Tagesschau also reported on the alleged fraud involving millions in illegal gaming machines. In one specific case, operators of 30 gaming arcades, primarily in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, are alleged to have defrauded the tax authorities over a period of several years. To do this, they allegedly falsified the turnover of the gaming machines on a large scale. This resulted in a total tax loss of over 40 million euros.

On 9 October, the trial began against a total of four men who are accused of falsifying technical records as well as tax evasion as part of a gang. So far, the defendants are still at large. The offences are said to have been committed over a period of ten years. The scam only came to light after an insider revealed it to the police in 2020.

The insider initially invested millions in several gambling halls, as he was promised a minimum monthly payout of 50,000 euros by the operators. After the payments in this amount failed to materialise, he began to conduct his own investigations with the help of a detective agency, which also triggered an investigation by the police.

Other interesting documentaries related to gambling:

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/kasino-spielautomat-spieler-8103408/

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