According to the Casino and Slot Machine Gaming Board of Peru, there must be thousands of illegal slot machines functioning in Peru. The regulatory body has denounced many of them as being ‘cloned’ and operating with adulterated programmes in order to cheat those who play the machines. Last Saturday in Lima, Peru’s capital, the police renewed its efforts to remove these machines and destroy them.

The head of the police unit in charge of carrying out the exercise has said, “Wherever easy gambling on a massive scale is encountered, unfortunately the mafias and organized crime appear. Corruption of officials, money laundering and other crime then follows.” The police operation at the weekend started in Ceres, a densely populated urbanization in the Vitarte district of Lima, where 25 cloned machines were confiscated. Operators of illegal machines claim that they create employment and entertainment for tourists. The authorities point out that they evade taxes and working standards, as well as infringe on intellectual property rights.

In January of this year a new casino and slot machine law was enacted in Peru, only allowing slot machines to operate in 4- and 5-star hotels and 5-fork (star) restaurants. However, the different legislative gaming reforms that have occurred in Peru mean that many operations continue to function under legal protection afforded them by judgements in the courts, thereby not having to comply with newer regulations. (E-02.09.06)

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