Coordinated use reveals hidden machines
During this coordinated large-scale operation, the police, customs, tax investigators and the local regulatory authorities worked extremely closely together. The officers checked 74 objects throughout the city at the same time. The emergency services discovered that the operator completely unpleasantIGTe devices in dark back rooms and inconspicuous restaurants set up to circumvent state controls.
Shortly afterwards, the technical examination of the devices revealed the enormous income of around 180,000 euros. In order not to be exposed immediately during raids, the perpetrators hid the manipulated machines in suitcases or even in defective washing machines . LKA investigators also discovered that the built-in electronics were not approved for the local power grid.
Financial pressure on criminal structures is growing
Berlin's Justice Senator Felor Badenberg (CDU) made it clear that the state must grab criminal networks directly by their money. It is not enough to simply take individual machines out of circulation. Rather, the Senate administration pursues the strategic goal of to permanently confiscate illegal income through strict asset confiscation and thus completely paralyze the structures.
This hard line now has a clear effect. Since August last year, the authorities have already secured assets worth almost seven million euros. Further proceedings involving two million euros are currently underway. Such cross-agency operations against illegal gambling in the capital are still ongoing central component to keep the control pressure high .
In order to combat organized crime even more effectively, Berlin is calling for an important change in the law at the federal level. The Federal Council voted one Initiative for the so-called reversal of the burden of proof has already been approved by a majority . In the future, suspects would have to prove that they financed expensive real estate or luxury cars with legal income. So far, this difficult burden of proof has rested solely on the investigating state.
Legal providers suffer from massive distortion of competition
Economics Senator Franziska Giffey (SPD) spoke directly from the seizure site and criticized the unfair market conditions. Those who adhere to applicable laws often lose out to black market players. For the economic administration it therefore remains a real main concern, legal India casinos to actively protect against this massive distortion of competition.
Licensed arcades must pay high taxes, meet strict construction requirements and guarantee player protection via the nationwide OASIS blocking system. Illegal operators avoid these enormous costs completely, which is why they achieve significantly higher profit margins with their manipulated devices . Industry experts alarmingly estimate that at least one in three India playground equipment is now running entirely without permission.
The financial damage to the regulated economy is immense. According to estimates, the illegal gambling market now reaches a volume of up to six billion euros. In order to strengthen legal structures, this is possible Joint gambling authority of the states (gambling regulator) consistently against violations before and clearly separates licensed providers from the black market .
Black market undermines all protective measures
The confiscated machines reveal by far the biggest problem of illegal gambling: the complete lack of player protection. Neither child protection nor government-imposed usage limits apply to these devices. The criminals behind the scenes operate in an absolute legal vacuum focus exclusively on the maximum financial exploitation of players .
Regulated reputable online casinos and land-based casinos offer a stark contrast. Providers with a India license implement hard monthly deposit limits and use the LUGAS system to prevent gambling addiction. The current raids in Berlin prove that the state is deliberately weakening criminal networks in order to enforce this legal protection across the board.
Channeling in online gambling: 77% or 50%?
Social betting India is illegal and punishable
