Prosecutors in Cosenza are investigating a major illicit operation related to the manipulation of online gaming machines throughout the region. On Monday, the public prosecutor's office announced that precautionary measures have been mandated against 15 individuals linked to the tampering of amusement with prize (AWP) machines, a popular type of slot machine in Italy. This scheme has raised suspicions of tax evasion and corruption.
A judge from the Cosenza court issued the preliminary ruling in collaboration with officials from the gaming regulatory body Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM). The measures include two instances of house arrest, six non-custodial restrictions, and a one-year prohibition on gaming operations for seven individuals involved.
At this point, the investigation is at a preliminary stage, and none of the accused have yet been tried in court.
Evidence has surfaced suggesting that an organized crime group was involved, potentially including both the owner of a distribution company and a local ADM official. This ADM official allegedly provided confidential information regarding inspection schedules in exchange for payments, which allowed the organization to hide illegal modifications and to recover, reformat, and redistribute seized gaming components.
The criminal network is also said to have executed intricate cabling and activation modifications to sustain its illegal operations, avoiding detection from authorities.
The probe was launched after ADM's central gaming controls spotted significant anomalies in the telematic data from various gaming machines. Following extensive inspections across commercial establishments in Cosenza, 145 machines were seized, which were believed to have hidden, altered circuit boards. Authorities also confiscated roughly €80,000 (about $89,188) in cash from these devices.
Cyber forensic analysis revealed that diverted stakes were rerouted from the designated monitoring network through seized devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers. The suspects allegedly installed illegal cloned circuit boards in conjunction with the authorized ADM boards, utilizing remote controls, modified cables, timers, or monitors to direct gameplay toward these illicit boards, thereby allowing them to collect unreported wagers.
This investigation follows shortly after authorities targeted former employees implicated in a fraud scheme involving Gratta e Vinci scratchcards, from which over €25 million in assets were seized. Although the gaming concessionaire company remained uncharged, prosecutors argue that five individuals within the organization used their privileged access to pinpoint winning tickets beforehand, undermining the intended randomness of the game.
Additionally, the trade body EGP-FIPE cautioned the Senate in June regarding a "regulatory deadlock" in the gambling sector, which poses a risk of increasing unregulated gambling activities across Italy.
