Italy probe alleges ADM insider tipped off slot machine ring

Prosecutors in Cosenza have opened precautionary measures against 15 people in a case involving tampering with AWP (amusement with prize) machines, the slot-style gaming devices that sit in the middle of Italy’s retail gaming footprint. For operators and PSPs, the point is simple: the case ties machine manipulation to suspected tax evasion, corruption, and an alleged regulator insider.

1. The public prosecutor’s office said on Monday that measures were ordered against 15 individuals suspected of manipulating AWP machines across Cosenza province. The ruling includes two house arrests, six non-custodial restrictions, and a one-year ban on operating gaming activities for seven people.
2. According to preliminary evidence, the alleged group included the owner of a distribution company and a local official at Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), Italy’s gaming regulator. Prosecutors say the ADM official leaked inspection dates and targets in exchange for payments, allowing illegal boards to be hidden and seized components to be recovered, reformatted, and redistributed.
3. The investigation began after ADM’s central gaming controls detected “striking anomalies” in telematic data from a number of gaming machines. Site inspections across commercial premises in Cosenza province led to the seizure of 145 machines, which authorities suspected contained a concealed second, tampered circuit board.
4. Authorities also confiscated approximately €80,000 ($89,188) in cash from the devices. Cyber forensic analysis of seized smartphones, tablets, computers, and memory media reportedly found a method for diverting stakes away from the monitoring network, alongside cloned circuit boards, remote wireless controls, modified cabling, timers, and monitor switches designed to route gameplay to the illegal boards and collect wagers “off the books.”
5. The inquiry is still preliminary, and none of the accused have yet faced trial. The case comes days after authorities launched a separate action over a Gratta e Vinci scratchcards fraud, where they seized over €25 million in assets from five former employees of a gaming concessionaire.