Poland cracks down on illegal gambling ring, 84 charged over 158 million zł

Police officers from the Katowice Provincial Police Headquarters and customs agents from the Silesian Customs and Tax Office concluded one of the largest investigations into illegal gambling in Poland. The probe targeted an organized group that operated from 2010 to 2018, mainly in Bielsko‑Biała, using eleven companies to run unlicensed slot‑machine venues across the country.

Eighty‑four people have been brought before the court – 12 in the first indictment and 72 in a second – facing charges of running an organised crime group, conducting illegal gambling and laundering the proceeds. Authorities seized 706 illicit gambling points, secured about 2,200 slot machines, and froze assets of the suspects valued at more than 40 million zł. The estimated illicit profit from the operation is at least 158 million zł. Ten defendants were placed in temporary detention, while the others were released on bail totaling over 8 million zł. Convictions could carry up to 20 years imprisonment and substantial fines.