Slot King Ordered to Pay Back €521,753.86 for Tax Evasion

_{Manipulation of slot machines by Erkan A. led to significant tax evasion. (Image: Alla Machutt / Alamy)}

It was jackpot time for the German authorities when they caught the slot machine gambling king known as Erkan A. having manipulated slots for tax evasion purposes.

The investigation into Erkan began in 2012 after he embarked on a quest to open a series of gaming halls and restaurants across Berlin. While on the surface he appeared to operate a legitimate business, he was secretly manipulating slot machines to inflate his profits unlawfully. 

Jackpot Time for Transparency 

When apprehended, Erkan willingly surrendered half a million euros, considered to be the proceeds of his illicit activities. He appeared in Tiergarten District Court, where he had been under scrutiny since 2012. 

Seemingly a conscientious businessman, Erkan had been paying taxes and fulfilling his financial obligations until investigations uncovered a darker side to his operations.  

A 2017 report from the Landeskriminalamt (LKA) revealed that Erkan had employed advanced software to tamper with the slot machines. 

Of the 92 machines examined, 39 had been altered, causing the machines to falsely report their earnings. 

This manipulation resulted in a significant reduction in reported turnover, allowing Erkan to evade substantial tax payments and benefit from more than one million euros unlawfully. 

Files documenting the extent of his fraud were submitted to the Berlin public prosecutor’s office in 2020, leading to an indictment in September 2022. After a lengthy legal process, Erkan's trial finally commenced three years later.  

Accountability and Reparation 

During the trial, Erkan confessed to his crimes. The judge sentenced him to one and a half years of probation for tax evasion across nine counts. It has been reported that he has already repaid €521,753.86 of the total €1,036,703.31 obtained through his illegal activities, marking a significant step toward accountability for his actions.