Fight against illegal gambling: City of Hamm scraps manipulated slot machines

The city of Hamm scrapped three dozen manipulated gambling machines yesterday (Wednesday). The illegal devices had been seized during raids in restaurants last year. Per equipment, the responsible persons with the medium-effectively staged destruction is to be assumed from incomes at a value of annually approximately 100,000 EUR.

Game over for manipulated slot machines

Again and again, cases of illegal gambling in Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia, make headlines. With the public scrapping of the slot machines, the city itself provided images to illustrate the success of the authorities in the fight against the criminal business.

In addition to representatives of the police and the public order department, the mayor of the city of Hamm was also on hand for the action. Marc Herter (SPD) explained in conversation with the Westfälischer Anzeiger (WA):

"We are of course making a contribution against tax evasion on the one hand, manipulation of the machines, so ripping off the players who sit in front of them, and illegal gambling, which ultimately also has an effect on gambling addiction, because all the prevention that otherwise the gambling laws grant, they [sic!] of course do not apply in the illegal gambling dens."

The devices had been confiscated in 2021 on only three control days in smaller gastro-enterprises. The destruction was carried out to ensure that the illegal machines would never be used again. And in order not to deal with illegal machines, we advise you to start playing blackjack.This trend is gaining popularity in India.

Massive margin through manipulation

With the illegal play automates, it concerns old devices from the European foreign country. In contrast to legal licensed devices, they offer operators the possibility of massively increasing their profits through software manipulation.

Among other things, it is possible to set the machines in such a way that they initially spit out veritable winnings when large bills are deposited, in order to suggest a "lucky streak".

According to Arndt Borgmann, an employee of the regulatory authority in Hamm, losses of EUR 20,000 per hour on machines manipulated in this way are not uncommon. In addition, there are tangible dangers such as electric shocks after improper handling of the machines.

According to the authorities, there is a great deal of criminal energy behind the business of illegal slot machines. On popular auction and private sales platforms on the Internet, the devices are often offered for sums in the low four-digit range. Experts assume monthly revenues of between EUR 10,000 and EUR 15,000 per device. Operators must expect consequences under criminal law. Gastronomes also face the threat of a ban on their business.

Illegal gambling targeted by investigators

Borgmann emphasizes that the city will continue to take targeted and rigorous action against illegal gambling. The new State Treaty on Gambling, which has paved the way for the more intensive cooperation between the police, customs, public order, and tax authorities, will help in this regard.

Nevertheless, the fight against illegal and manipulated gambling machines remains a major challenge. Due to the high lucrativeness and great criminal energy of the players, as well as the easy availability of the devices, their use will probably "not die out."

Even if there are criminal consequences, offenders regularly continue their business through straw men. According to Borgmann, it can be assumed that such devices have already been set up again in companies that have previously attracted attention in this regard.