Italy has cracked down on illegal gambling dens in its Agrigento region, seizing unlicensed machines and levying approximately $23,000 in fines. Authorities remarked that the machines at one particular hub were disconnected from the PREU network, which imposes Italy’s gaming levy.
One Shop’s Machines Were Disconnected from Italy’s Levy Network
According to the report, Agrigento authorities, led by the Italian gambling and customs regulator (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli/ADM) and the Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza/GDF), investigated gambling centers in the region.
The operation saw authorities probe some 14 gambling and betting halls across several towns in the region. Beyond the city of Agrigento, authorities also probed venues in Campobello di Licata, Favara, Palma di Montechiaro, the Pelagie Islands, Raffadali, and Ribera.
Two hubs in particular stood out as they appeared to be unlicensed sportsbooks. One shop in Porto Empedocle had two betting terminals that were both disconnected from the PREU network and lacking ID codes. As a result, the machines likely sought to avoid paying taxes. The owner has since been reported to a local public prosecutor for the alleged offering of illegal sports betting.
In addition to levying approximately $23K in fines and seizing the two PREU-disconnected gambling machines, the ADM and GDF said that the investigation will continue. They warned that unlicensed gambling can be particularly dangerous to vulnerable groups, such as minors and at-risk players.
Italy Busted Its Biggest Illegal Gambling Den Yet
The recent action comes after, in February, Italian authorities cracked down on an illegal gambling den associated with a Malta-based gambling company. Located in Bovalino in the Italian province of Reggio Calabria, the hub stood out as one of the most severe offenders of Italy’s gambling laws yet.
According to reports, the location was a fully-fledged illegal gaming shop that operated under the name of a company that no longer existed. In addition to committing serious violations of Italy’s gambling law, the den breached a variety of other laws, too.
In other news, Alphabet unit Google recently lost a legal case in Europe to avoid paying a substantial fine worth $854,250. The case dates back four years, when Google challenged the ruling of an Italian administrative court. Since then, the matter escalated, ultimately reaching the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) before it was finally resolved.