Fake homepage

Hoax? Casinos Austria the target of fraudsters

The lotteries have already responded to the fake mailing.

(Bild: P. Huber)

A press release including a study praises the Casinos Austria subsidiary Win2Day as a "success for the economy". However, what sounds like advertising is causing headaches for the gambling group: Neither the report nor the accompanying website are "genuine", the casinos are victims of a fraudster ...

The topic is the currently much-discussed gambling monopoly. However, the content of the mailing, which was written by fraudsters, could actually come from the casinos' headquarters. The monopoly is praised and the positive significance of Win2Day, the only legal provider of online gambling in Austria, is emphasized. However, the author is not Casinos Austria, as Austrian Lotteries has already announced in a statement.

Ominous mailing and fake website
It appears that both the website and the mailing were created using artificial intelligence. The fake homepage is visually very similar to the Win-2-Day design and looks professional.

The fake Win2Day page looked deceptively real.

(Bild: Screenshot)

The original text sent out by APA also contains the contact details of a supposed contact person called Anna Müller. However, the number given is not registered in Austria, and the German area code is used to reach a gentleman who obviously has nothing to do with it. The originator of the mailing is ImpulsQ GmbH, which has not yet published anything apart from the mailing on the press agency's platform.

Publication under a false name using the Win-2-Day brand is illegal. It is still unclear who is behind the campaign and with what motive. It is obvious that the campaign is the work of someone who wants to harm the casinos. The possibility that someone wanted to do the gambling group a favor with the fake but positive study is ruled out, and it is equally unlikely that it was a joke.

The OVWG association, which represents illegal gambling operators in Austria, fell for the fake. It fired back with a press release and responded to the "misleading statements".

Casinos want to take action against fraudsters
The casinos are currently trying to track down the originator of the illegal action and will then take all legal steps against them, according to a spokesperson. In view of foreign websites, this is a rather difficult undertaking.