A network which installed illegal slot machines in bars in New Aquitaine and Occitanie was dismantled last Tuesday, Bordeaux public prosecutor Frédérique Porterie announced this Friday.
In total, fourteen people were arrested. Three of the accused were presented to the JIRS (Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction) in Bordeaux on Thursday after their custody. They were indicted on charges of “importing, possessing, making available, installing and operating gaming machines in an organized group”, and on charges of “aggravated money laundering and participation in a criminal association”. » They were placed under judicial supervision. The searches carried out led to the seizure of four vehicles, 320,500 euros in bank accounts, 97,700 euros in cash and seventeen slot machines.
Machines hidden in Internet terminals
The case started at the beginning of 2022. Investigators from the Limoges research section had “detected the illegal presence of slot machines within an association bar in Limoges. » An inspection carried out by an administration in this establishment “confirmed the presence of games of chance, as well as a contract for the maintenance of these devices with a financial company based in the Lot. »
The investigations “showed that the manager of this company was installing slot machines in PMU bars and community association premises in the departments of Haute-Vienne, Dordogne, Corrèze, Lot and Aveyron. . These slot machines were hidden in Internet kiosks, with players inserting money and being able to win gift cards or cash. »
The winnings generated were more than 1.5 million euros
The investigation established that the servers and games of chance software dedicated to the operation of the machines were produced and marketed by a Luxembourg company, specializing in arcade games, billiards and pinball machines. The winnings generated were more than 1.5 million euros.
The Bordeaux JIRS prosecutor’s office took up the case on June 21, 2022 and opened a judicial investigation into the charges of “importing, detaining, making available and operating in an organized gang of gaming machines” , as well as counts of “money laundering and participation in a criminal association. »
The manager of the company based in Luxembourg was also heard on Thursday by the Luxembourg judicial authorities as part of international cooperation.