800 less machines – Brunner: “Success in illegal gambling”

The proposed fines amount to 36 million euros. “The controls of the financial police ensure fair competition, they protect the financial interests of the Republic of Austria and therefore also those of the taxpayers,” Brunner said at a press conference largely prevented.

Working conditions under the magnifying glass
Last year, for example, the financial police investigated the employment relationships of some 54,000 people. The result: almost 3,400 employees were not properly registered with social security. In the area of ​​wage and social dumping, 1,600 companies were checked, resulting in 1,800 criminal complaints. With regard to the Corona working time reduction, the financial police even discovered inconsistencies in about half of the companies. An example is that reports were forwarded to departments that were not responsible for them.

Gambling reduced
The measures taken by the financial police were also particularly effective in the field of illegal gambling, Brunner said. At 458 inspections, 812 machines were taken out of service. Although significantly fewer devices were seized than in 2020, this shows that illegal gambling has recently been reduced.

According to the head of the financial police, Wilfried Lehner, about as many checks were carried out in 2021 as in previous years. As of January 1, 2021, the Fraud Prevention Office (ABB) is new in the financial administration. This led to an organizational merger of the anti-fraud units in ABB and shorter official channels, said head Alfred Hacker.