Cosenza slots allegedly diverted wagers to hidden clone boards; 15 court measures executed

Italian investigators say slot machines in Cosenza were fitted with hidden clone boards that could divert wagers away from the state-linked gaming network while the machines continued operating. On October 26, Carabinieri and Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) executed court-ordered precautionary measures against 15 people in the investigation.

According to the Carabinieri, the suspected system placed an unauthorised second board beside the regular board connected to Italy’s national network. Wireless remotes, modified wiring, timers or monitor switches could redirect play to the clone board. Investigators say this created two records of money wagered, with some stakes escaping registration on the national network and the corresponding gambling tax, PREU, not being paid.

That is the deception at the centre of the case: a machine linked to the regulated AWP system could allegedly be switched so that wagers were processed through hardware unknown to the state network. The Carabinieri release does not say payout percentages were manipulated or that player winnings were stolen.

Investigators also allege that an ADM official in Cosenza received periodic payments in exchange for advance details of planned inspections, including dates, times and targets. The warning allegedly allowed illegal boards to be hidden and the machines temporarily returned to their lawful configuration before inspectors arrived. The official is also accused of removing sealed boxes containing previously seized AWP boards so they could be reformatted, their counters reset and the boards returned to circulation.

The October 26 order did not mean 15 arrests. Two suspects were placed under house arrest, six received non-custodial measures, and seven were barred from gaming-sector activity for one year. The criminal case remains at the preliminary-investigation stage, and the allegations have not been tested at trial.

Earlier in the investigation, authorities seized 145 machines suspected of using dual or tampered boards and about €80,000 held inside them. A separate preventive seizure exceeding €12 million was executed on November 6, 2025; it is background to the current case, not a new October 2026 seizure.