Cosenza Slot Fraud: 15 Subject To Measures In Italy
Italian prosecutors in Cosenza have secured precautionary measures against 15 people in an investigation into tampered slot machines and unpaid gaming tax, including an alleged corrupt link to an official at the customs and monopolies agency ADM. The measures were executed on October 26, 2026.
The case comes as Rome looks to the sector for revenue, a theme in our report on Italy targeting €1bn from gambling in the 2027 budget. The details below come from the Carabinieri press release and are allegations at the investigation stage.
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What The Measures Cover
According to the Carabinieri, officers from the Cosenza Provincial Command worked with staff from ADM's central gaming directorate in Rome under the coordination of the Cosenza prosecutor's office. A judge for preliminary investigations at the Cosenza court issued the order on the prosecutor's request.
Of the 15 people, two were placed under house arrest, six received non-custodial measures and seven were barred from gaming activity for one year. The alleged offences include criminal association aimed at crimes against the public administration, property and the administration of justice, corruption for acts contrary to official duties, disclosure and use of official secrets, aggravated fraud against the State and aiding and abetting.
The release stresses that the measures rest on serious indications of guilt at the preliminary stage, which still need to be tested in court with the defence heard.
How The Scheme Allegedly Worked
The investigation began when ADM's gaming controls office analysed telematic flows and collection counters and found striking anomalies in the volumes of numerous amusement-with-prizes machines. Inspections in shops across Cosenza province led to the seizure of 145 machines suspected of using a double or tampered board, plus about €80,000 found inside them.
On November 6, 2025 a judge ordered a preventive seizure of more than €12 million from a gaming-machine operator over suspected embezzlement of the PREU, the single tax levied on stakes. Investigators say a second, cloned board sat beside the regular board connected to the state network, so part of the money played was never registered.
They describe wireless remote controls, modified wiring, timers or switches on screens that diverted play to the illegal board, cloned smart cards to stop the machine locking for lack of network contact, and anti-tamper sensors blocked with glue or cable ties. The cash was allegedly taken at the emptying stage with no PREU paid.
The Alleged Insider Link
ANSA reported that prosecutors allege a corrupt pact between a slot distributor and an ADM official based at the agency's Cosenza office. According to the ANSA report, the official allegedly received periodic payments in return for revealing the dates, times and targets of inspections in advance.
That would have given the operator time to hide the illegal boards and restore lawful operation before inspectors arrived. Cosenza prosecutor Vincenzo Capomolla described a highly organised and meticulous mechanism involving several people who also worked physically on machines in shops.
Colonel Andrea Mommo, the provincial Carabinieri commander, said chat messages showed the main suspect lived on sizeable commissions, with a fixed base and a percentage tied to takings.The case turns on land-based machines, not online play, but it shows how data monitoring can expose tax evasion. The investigation started with ADM's own analysis of machine counters.
Players who prefer licensed online play can compare operators through our casino bonuses guide. Further court steps in Cosenza will decide which of the allegations hold.
