Due to reports from the population, the financial police checked a ground floor restaurant in Vienna Ottakring in the evening hours with the support of the police on June 30th. The reason for the control operation were reports and complaints from the population about the opaque, glued-up bar, in which drug addicts apparently also went in and out.
The finance police, who are responsible for gambling controls, moved out with the support of the Vienna State Office of Criminal Investigation and the standby unit, who ensured security on site. The well-known pub, in which 12 machines were confiscated during a previous operation, was secured with an access lock with an electrically secured magnetic door, a massive metal bolt and cameras that also monitored the street area over a large area. The financial police therefore gained access with the help of a locksmith.
The financial police made a record find in the restaurant: 18 illegal gaming machines as well as a deposit and withdrawal machine were in operation there. 3 players and a minder were present at the devices who did not comply with the corona protective measures or the non-smoking regulations. The bar also had no escape route. When the supervisor was checked, it turned out that he was receiving emergency aid and that he was working “black” in the bar. The officers found an envelope with 1,000 euros in his “watchdog chamber”, which he said he had received for 3 weeks of work.
Finance Minister Gernot Blümel: “We are observing that, especially in Vienna, mafia-like structures with illegal gambling dens have recently spread again. Not only are all duties and taxes evaded, but illegal gambling takes place in an uncontrolled manner and without player protection on often manipulated machines. The fatal combination of drugs and gambling, as well as accompanying crime, is particularly dangerous. “
The bar was closed and officially sealed by the police and the locks were swapped. Wien Energie also dismantled the power supply due to theft. The illegal gaming machines were taken away in a police truck. A total of 8 finance police officers, around 16 police officers as well as the office for emergency measures and the construction police were involved in the operation. The financial police then continued their work and again found what they were looking for in Ottakring: For example, 3 more illegal gaming machines were seized in a smaller restaurant near the belt.
For the operators, it placed advertisements for offering illegal gambling, for non-compliance with the smoking ban and corona protective measures, for electricity theft and against the guardian who receives emergency assistance, for social fraud. The Greek group of perpetrators has to reckon with the highest penalty of up to 60,000 euros per gaming device and a total of more than 1 million euros fine for repeated offenses. The penalty for electricity theft is up to three years imprisonment.
Blümel: “The high pressure of control by the financial police and successful operations like the one last night are putting the criminal operators under massive pressure. The financial police will continue to work closely with the police to put the criminal operator gangs under massive pressure and continue to fight against illegal gambling. “
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