Authorities in Italy have placed 15 people under investigation over an alleged fraud involving manipulated slot machines.
The gambling office of the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), in collaboration with Italy’s Carabinieri police force, has announced that raids are being carried out across multiple addresses in the Cosenza province.
A total of 145 slot machines were seized, together with €80,000 in cash. A total of 15 people have been alleged to have participated to some extent.
Two are currently under house arrest, six had non-custody proceedings initiated against them, while seven have been barred from conducting or participating in gambling for a period of one year.
According to the authorities, the machines were duped with an illegal electronic card to register the wagers without being connected to the state register, circumventing the national Prelievo Erariale Unico gambling levy that taxes wagers made on slot machines.
A probe has also been launched in a possible bribery involving an ADM official in Cosenza. Authorities further revealed that the suspect has allegedly received payments in exchange for information regarding planned site inspections, including dates and times.
Furthermore, the ADM employee allegedly leveraged his access to an ADM warehouse to steal sealed boxes of confiscated electronic cards, which were then handed over to the organised crime group.
Suspects are potentially looking at charges of tax evasion, participation in a criminal organisation, corruption, breach of state secrets, defrauding the state, among others.
The identification of the 15 people and the corruption probe are the latest developments in a case that was first publicised in November 2025, when the ADM seized more than €12m in cash and assets.
The raids come amid a regulatory overhaul of Italy’s gambling industry, with a new framework for online betting and casino operations launched in November 2025 as well – but regulatory terms for retail gaming remain unsettled.
Despite this, the industry is still proving a lucrative cash cow for the government with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) expecting more than €1bn from the industry between 2027-2028.
