Austrian police have launched a coordinated crackdown on illegal gambling venues. The Austrian police have seized 55 illegal gaming machines in an operation that lasted for three days. The coordinated action against illegal gambling venues was taken against establishments located in Upper Austria and was carried out in association with the State Police Directorate.

Result of the crackdown

As a result of the operation, it was discovered that new gambling machines were installed at venues that had been inspected previously. One illegal gambling venue had 12 machines installed in contravention of the law. Gernot Blümel, Austrian Finance Minister commented that the three-day operation has revealed that the Upper Austria region has emerged as a hotspot of illegal gambling in the country. He further stated that the raids by the police led to the seizure of 200 gaming machines in August 2021.

Gambling raids continue

Last month, Austrian police seized 121 illegal gaming machines and dealt a big blow to illegal gambling in Austria. The machines seized included popular casinos gaming machines such as slots and gambling terminals and auto roulette.  The coordinated raid was conducted in 39 areas of the country, including areas such as Wels, Linz, Linz-land, and Steyr regions. June 2021 also saw raids that were coordinated that led to the seizure of 91 illegal slot machines to be confiscated from 17 illegal venues. In February 2021, crime and financial police units joined together to bust two illegal establishments in the districts of Donaustadt and Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus in Vienna.

Reason for illegal gambling 

Austria’s retail gambling market has only two land-based casinos and gaming arcades. Casinos Austria and Novomatic are the only two casinos and this restricts the choice and availability of games that are available to the players legally. On account of the pandemic, land-based venues have had to operate with a number of restrictions in order to stop the further spread of the virus. Illegal gambling is a way for players to indulge.