Eleven detained in Silesia over illegal gambling gang running slot machines

The arrests

Silesian police and officers of the National Revenue Administration (Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa) detained 11 people suspected of belonging to an organised criminal group that ran illegal gambling. The operation, carried out in the days before 30 October 2026, included searches of the suspects' homes and of 11 premises fitted with gambling machines in Rybnik, Racibórz and nearby towns. Police spokesman Mateusz Mrachacz said officers seized 53 gaming machines. An earlier report put the number at more than 50, and the 53 figure is the more precise count.

Cash and charges

Officers secured Polish and foreign currency worth more than one million zloty, along with a collection of 12 zloty coins. Police said a considerable sum in foreign banknotes could not be valued because the notes were damp and could not be converted. The suspects face charges of running illegal machine gambling and taking part in an organised criminal group. A Czech citizen was charged with leading the group. On the prosecutors' request, the Gliwice District Court remanded five suspects in custody, while the other six received non-custodial preventive measures. The charged offences carry prison terms and high financial penalties.

Detained11

Remanded in custody5

Non-custodial preventive measures6

Detained

11

Remanded in custody

5

Non-custodial preventive measures

6

Data from the article text

How the gang operated

Prosecutor Agnieszka Bukowska, spokesperson for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gliwice, said the group set up and ran illegal machine gambling at several sites in southern Silesia. She said the group operated from 2019 to 2026. Authorities closed the premises several times and confiscated the machines, but members then installed new machines in the same locations.

The investigation

The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Gliwice is supervising the investigation. The case covers the period from 2019 to 2026 and involves premises across southern Silesia. Investigators have not yet reported any further arrests, and the case remains at the stage of charges and preventive measures.