The 2019-founded Austrian Players’ Aid Association, also known as the Spielerhilfe Association, has recently slammed Austrian Lotteries for allegedly allowing underaged players to buy instant win products.

No Age Controls in Place 

According to the association aimed at advocating for better player protection in the country while offering media education and advice, 55% of all children who were used in their testing purchases had no problem buying the respective products, in spite of being aged between 12 and 14. 

The Spielerhilfe, therefore, slammed Austrian Lotteries for failing to perform the necessary age verification procedures during the purchases. 

Starting July 10, 2023, Austrian Lotteries has imposed an age limit of 18, abolishing the previous age limit of 16 for purchasing lottery tickets and other products. 

In the past years, the legal age of gambling has represented a controversial topic in many parts of the world. In March 2022, some of Michigan’s casino properties decided to lower their gambling age to 18 from 21. 

Spielerhilfe Carried 175 Test Purchases in Three Federal States 

Austrian Lotteries, which features Allwyn-owned Casinos Austria as the major shareholder, has allegedly sold the instant win products to minors in the federal states of Salzburg, Upper Austria, and Lower Austria where Spielerhilfe carried 175 test purchases throughout the current year. 

The children part of the testing were sent to buy scratch cards and other lottery products sold by Austrian Lotteries’ retail outlets. The action was used as a means of verifying their compliance with the regulations in the industry.

Spielerhilfe’s chairman and spokesperson, Christoph Holubar, commented that Austrian Lotteries “apparently has big problems controlling its sales partners”. He added that the protection of minors was yet to be guaranteed, since in over 50% of all purchases initiated by children, they were given the green light to buy the products. 

Holubar also mentioned the example of the Salzburg branch of Austrian Lotteries whose retail outlets served clients over the age of 16, in spite of the existence of the 2019 Salzburg Youth Act which banned individuals under the age of 18 from taking part in games of chance. 

The chairman commented that the lotteries’ actions ignored the federal state’s “legal situation.” He further explained that the company “apparently risked that its contractual partners would continually violate applicable laws” while committing administrative offenses.

So far, Spielerhilfe has referred 34 violations of responsible gaming regulations to the authorities in Salzburg.

At the start of September, Premier Lotteries Ireland was fined $160,000 for breaching its licensing conditions regarding self-exclusion. At the time, Carol Boate, the chief of the Irish lottery regulator that imposed the fine, also emphasized the need for robust measures that would eradicate underage gambling and lower the risk of problem gambling.

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A series of raids were carried out by the Austrian financial police in cooperation with the Salzburg police to crack down on illegal gambling in Salzburg, this month.

The illegal gambling operators were dealt a blow by the confiscation of 76 illegal gaming machines. 

Over the course of the raid, 15 members of the financial police’s Cobra task force worked closely with 20 officers from the local police to deal havoc on the illegal operators who operated undercover. The places the police visited were seven bars that were camouflaged from the outside as different types of businesses, including a nail salon, tanning salon and internet café. 

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The operators could be fined up to €30,000 per unit, though actual fines typically run towards €5,000 on average. 

The police had to forcefully gain entrance into five of the bars, while a locksmith was called on to open the locks on the other two. The individuals who operated the locations had secured all the premises with magnetic locks and had set up video-monitoring equipment both inside and outside. 

In one instance, one of the bars that were raided was located in a basement in which 15 illegal slot machines were found. The operator had placed the establishment right next to an official building and access was via the official car park.

Another operator was described by the Finance Ministry as having acted “particularly boldly”. After the confiscation of nine machines on the first day of the operation, a further nine machines were discovered five days later when the police again visited the bar.

According to the Finance Ministry, the police achieved “a great deal of success” for their actions during the campaign. Meanwhile the Austrian finance minister lauded the success of the campaign while calling for “resolute action by the financial police” which is “of great importance” in tackling organised crime. He also added that henceforward they will “not show any tolerance towards criminals in the future.” 

The crackdown on illegal gaming machines in Salzburg serves as a warning to others who might be involved in such activities. The use of coercive force and locksmiths highlights the seriousness with which the authorities view such activities. The financial police’s resolute action is a clear indication of their commitment to tackling organized crime and the exploitation of gambling addicts.



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