Extensive Operation Cracks Down on Illegal Gambling in Northern Italy
A large-scale operation, coordinated by the Central Unit of the State Police for Gaming and Betting, in close collaboration with the Controls Office of the Gaming Directorate of the Customs and Monopolies Agency, has targeted illegal gambling activities across several provinces in Northern Italy. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to combat illegal gambling and betting, leveraging the investigative expertise of the State Police both nationally and internationally, employing new and increasingly effective organizational models.
The operation spanned the provinces of Turin, Vercelli, Novara, Biella, and Asti. Specialists from the “gaming and betting police” and five regional offices of the Customs and Monopolies Agency in Northern Italy, supported by investigators from the Investigative Section of the SCO (Central Operational Service) of Turin and Mobile Squads, as well as units of the Administrative Police of the involved Police Headquarters and crime prevention units, carried out the following:
- Identified 400 individuals at 40 commercial establishments.
- Seized 25 illegal gambling devices, including “totems,” personal computers, AWP (Amusement with Prize) machines, and VLT (Video Lottery Terminal) machines.
- Issued over 51 administrative sanctions, totaling more than €282,500, and filed 4 criminal complaints related to the unauthorized operation of gambling and betting activities.
The massive deployment, which capitalized on the well-established synergy between the State Police and the Customs and Monopolies Agency to optimize the fight against the most advanced forms of illegality in the gaming sector, involved over 200 personnel. This included the direct involvement of more than 30 “specialists” from Mobile Squads and SISCO (Central Investigation Service on Organized Crime) units from across the country, trained in specialized qualification courses organized by the Central Anti-Crime Directorate, as well as experts from the Agency with the ability to analyze gaming flows and combat irregularities in gaming devices.
This activity is part of the ongoing prevention and monitoring efforts conducted jointly by the State Police and the Customs and Monopolies Agency. The aim is to prevent illegal gambling and betting practices, protect users, and prevent the illicit erosion of a substantial portion of tax revenue derived from illegal gaming activities.
Furthermore, the operation allowed for the updating of constant monitoring of public places and gaming establishments, focusing attention on possible economic interests and the risks of infiltration by organized crime of the Mafia type in the gaming sector, sometimes implemented through sophisticated techniques of money laundering and reinvestment of assets of illicit origin.
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