Romania lottery, Intralot subsidiary under investigation over illegal slots

Romania’s national lottery is bracing for a potential scandal that could ensnare a local subsidiary of Greek gaming technology firm Intralot.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Romanian prosecutors had launched an investigation of Loteria Romana CNLR and Intralot subsidiary Lotrom SA. The investigation is focusing on the use of 6,264 slot machines prosecutors believe were operating without license or authorization between 2006 and 2014.

Prosecutors have suggested the illegal slots could have deprived the state of 463.4m lei (US $111m) in tax revenue during that time span, although they cautioned that the sum was a “preliminary” number. Prosecutors have yet to publicly reveal the names of any individuals deemed to be persons of interest in the investigation.

Prosecutors claimed to have frozen the bank accounts of the two companies under investigation. Neither company has made a public statement on the investigation but Loteria Romania told Reuters its financial accounts hadn’t been blocked.