The Austrian financial police, also known as Bundesministerium Finanzen, has released a report referencing criminal activities against tax evasion, undeclared work, and illegal business. All in all, the police action conducted by the Bundesministerium Finanzen and other agencies of the government results in a whopping $7 million in fines and a total of 2.185 criminal proceedings.
Regarding the gambling vertical, the Bundesministerium Finanzen issued $526.300 in fines for the first quarter of 2023 alone. Moreover, as part of the state-led action against illegal gambling activities, a total of 46 gambling-related operators were searched and investigated during the first quarter of 2023, resulting in 27 criminal proceedings against companies and individuals involved in providing illegal gambling services.
Out of all 27 complaints, 20 alone were against companies from Vienna, the capital of Austria. From here, the total amount of fines against companies related to illegal gambling services in the likes of tax evasion issued by the Austrian police in Vienna amounts to $320.8000, which is more than half of the total $526.300.
Speaking on the investigation, Magnus Brunner, the Finance Minister of Austria, states that illegal gambling activities and tax evasion are mostly harmful to businesses that operate within the law. In addition, Brunner said that illegal and unlicensed businesses enjoy “unfair competitive conditions”, which eventually affect “honest entrepreneurs” and legal companies.
“Therefore, as part of our anti-fraud strategy, the financial police make a significant contribution to protecting our business location.”
Magnus Brunner
If we take a look at the breakdown of the fines regarding illegal activities in Austria, which also includes gambling, the total list of fines issued by the financial police by region goes like this:
- Salzburg – $2.5 million
- Vienna – $1.4 million
- Lower Austria – $1.1 million
From here, the most fines against companies involved in criminal activities are in Vienna (567), which is followed by Lower Austria (424), and Upper Austria (352). Additionally, the Bundesministerium Finanzen investigated more than 13.200 employees from 7.200 companies during the first quarter of 2023. Out of all businesses that were investigated, 1.792 were from the construction industry, 1.062 were from the hospitality industry, and 973 were from the transport sector.
