In a coordinated raid against unlicensed gambling establishments, Austrian police swooped down on around 40 locations all around the country. The large-scale operation saw the involvement of police officers from the Linz-Land, Wels, Steyr and Linz regions of Austria.
For the most part, the establishments – mostly bars and restaurants – were uncooperative with the police, and they did everything they could to keep the authorities out. It was reported that 11 locations padlocked their doors so that the police had to call locksmiths to open them up.
Out of the 121 gaming machines seized by the police, many were anchored to the wall, and had to be forcibly removed.
In June, 2021, a similar raid took place with the authorities targeting the growing number of illegal gambling establishments nationwide. The raids were carried out simultaneously so that establishments could not warn one another.
Speaking about the latest raid, the finance minister of Austria, Gernot Blumel said: “The regular operations of the financial police against illegal gambling make it increasingly unattractive for the operators to pursue their dirty business on the back of gambling addicts. This is a severe blow to organized crime in Upper Austria and the financial police will continue to crack down on it in the future!”
The police have vowed to repeat these types of operations and demand that the illegal establishments close immediately if they reopen.