Hamburg police seize illegally operated slot machines with rigged payout percentages during a raid
In a recent raid in Hamburg-Harburg, investigators, LKA officers, and employees of the district office seized gambling machines, computers, hard drives, and cash from a cultural association known as Kristall. The raid, which took place in May 2023, uncovered three manipulated gambling machines with a payout rate of only 58%.
Before leaving, the officers allegedly read out the machines using special software and hardware. However, no money was found as the machines had been emptied shortly before the raid. The authorities also discovered more illegal gambling machines at a nearby bar and restaurant.
The manipulated gambling machines secured in the raid had a total payout of only 120,910 euros, resulting in a profit of 86,049 euros. Illegally obtained money totaling 2,500 euros was also secured during the operation.
It's important to note that Germany has no specific legal requirement for a minimum payout rate for stationary slot machines. On the other hand, online slots typically have a higher payout rate, with around 90% stated in many cases.
This is the first time that officers have published such detailed information about how much money can be earned through illegal gambling. The exact extent of illegal gambling in Hamburg and throughout the country could be significantly higher than the number of cases uncovered.
While precise prevalence data on manipulated payout rates in illegal German machines is lacking, it's generally understood that illegal gambling machines, operating outside regulatory oversight, have a higher potential for manipulated payout rates compared to regulated machines. This reflects the general pattern of illicit gambling setups worldwide, where lack of regulation enables manipulation, but definitive prevalence data is scarce.
The owner of the cultural association reportedly could not find the key for the machines, so the officers had to force them open. The authorities are currently investigating the case further and have not released any additional information at this time.
Online casinos in Germany, such as the one allegedly operated by the cultural association Kristall, are a concern due to the potential for casino-and-gambling activities to go unregulated. This case underscores the importance of casino-games being subject to proper oversight, as the seizure of manipulated gambling machines indicates a skewed payout rate that could exploit players.
