Frankfurt: Illegal slot machines moved in and destroyed

Raids occasionally also found illegally set up gaming machines. But what happens to the confiscated machines is not prescribed exactly. Usually anyone doesn’t really worry about it either. The police in Frankfurt have now opted for an unusual method and will destroy 50 machines.

Widespread problem

Again and again gambling machines are also set up without permission. This is a problem worldwide, including in USA. Raids are repeatedly carried out against this problem. The larger the city and the larger the population and thereby the potential demand, the greater the problem with illegal gambling, including Gaming machines. In Frankfurt, the police are therefore repeatedly done – and also with success, as can be seen regularly from reports.

Frankfurt dealing with the problem

The Frankfurt city police have a special operational investigation unit that takes care of such operations. In the past few months, the raids carried out by the unit have been confiscated over 150 machines and thereby pulled out of traffic. A press release published in this context announced what should now happen with 50 of the machines: they are to be destroyed by a professional recycling company. A value of one million $ is destroyed with the machines.

The annihilation should be a warning. Anyone who has already offered illegal gambling should think closely again whether they really want to invest money in a machine that may be destroyed forever. The Security Judgment Annette Rinn, who is responsible for Frankfurt, assumes that all arcade operators and also restaurateurs would “superior to the installation of non -approved machines in the future. Nevertheless, it is questionable whether it must be that the machines are destroyed and it is not actually sufficient that the machines are confiscated. Finally, the actual possession is also removed by confiscation and the illegally set up machines can no longer be operated as before.

Not enough fines and criminal charges?

After all, the Frankfurt police have been carrying out controls against illegal gambling for years and repeatedly confiscated machines. So 500 controls became in the past year alone. Numerous violations were discovered. This should actually be warning enough for the operators of illegal machines. A raid or even a subsequent criminal complaint or a notice of fines should not want a machine display.

Especially in Frankfurt, the authorities are not really reluctant to punish. Last year, the 500 controls in 172 cases with procedures with regulatory funds of over 200,000 $ were initiated. In addition, four operations were permanently closed and ten more were temporarily closed. Therefore, an annihilation of the machines should not really be the decisive factor that the operators are stopped by setting up illegal machines.

Also illegal gambling in Oberursel and Troisdorf

But both illegal gambling and the controls do not only extend to Frankfurt. For example, an illegally carried out poker game was revealed in Oberursel a few weeks ago. The police received a hint of the game with 20 participants and followed it up. A raid was carried out and the suspicion has been confirmed. As part of this, the police were able to secure several thousand $ and playing cards. Both against the operator of the restaurant where the illegal game took place and against the game participants, criminal proceedings were initiated. Three managers of several operators were also arrested three months earlier in Troisdorf. They had regularly offered illegal gambling there. In addition, numerous Gaming table, Gambling machines and other equipment are confiscated. As in Oberursel, several play participants were also found there.