Italian authorities have uncovered a fraudulent scheme involving Gratta e Vinci scratchcards, a well-known lottery game, resulting in the seizure of assets worth over €25 million ($27.98 million) from five former employees of a gaming concessionaire. This investigation was carried out by the Guardia di Finanza this week.
Although the concessionaire itself has not been accused of wrongdoing, prosecutors contend that these five individuals used their privileged access to identify winning tickets in advance, thwarting the game’s intended randomness.
Reports from La Stampa indicate that the five former employees managed to pinpoint four winning scratchcards before they were available to the public. Two of these tickets were reportedly valued at €7 million each, while the other two were worth €5 million each.
The individuals allegedly exploited confidential credentials to access and manipulate the gaming company’s servers, enabling them to inspect or modify data, effectively identifying the winning tickets ahead of their retail sale.
This scheme reportedly extended to a network of friends and relatives who purchased the winning tickets from various retail outlets across Italy. This strategy was likely designed to conceal the fraudulent origins of the tickets and make tracing them more difficult.
The Guardia di Finanza described the asset seizure as a step to protect public finances and recover assets related to the alleged damages caused by this fraud. Included in the seizure are 25 properties, numerous vehicles, and various financial holdings associated with the suspects.
In recent months, Italy’s regulatory landscape has faced challenges. In June, the trade body EGP-FIPE warned the Senate that the gambling sector is in a “regulatory deadlock,” which could encourage the proliferation of unregulated gambling activities in the country. The group noted that the lack of a cohesive national reform framework has left the sector “frozen,” hindering effective network planning and undermining protections against problem gambling.
The court will soon decide whether to maintain, adjust, or remove the asset seizures. This action aims to secure potential restitution for the financial damage attributed to the Italian Revenue Agency as criminal and accounting investigations progress. The five former employees under investigation are facing multiple charges related to the fraud, as authorities work to reinforce integrity in Italy’s lottery and gaming sectors.
