Gambling in Italy: regulator reports strong growth in 2024
The ADM also provided an update on its regulatory oversight of the sector.
Italy.- Led by director Roberto Alesse, the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), whose duties include the regulation of gambling in Italy, attended a summit of state agencies this week. The body provided an overview of industry performance last year as well as updates on its regulatory oversight.
Figures show that gross gaming revenue (GGR) in Italy came in at €21.6bn in 2024, a rise of 4.4 per cent year-on-year increase. Growth was driven by a 17 per cent rise in online gaming revenue to €5bn. Meanwhile, land-based gambling revenue held steady with just a small rise to €16.5bn. As for stakes, players bet €157.5bn over the 12 months: €92bn online and €65bn via land-based gambling.
Increased enforcement in Italian gambling
The ADM also highlighted its enforcement action in 2024, reporting that it carried out over 19,000 inspections, which led to 3,319 administrative sanctions and the closure of 721 unlicensed gambling websites. Tax assessments from enforcement actions totalled €72.5m.
Italian gambling tenders
The past year also saw significant regulatory activity around tenders for Italian gambling licences. The application window for new Italian online gambling licences, covering betting, online casino, poker and bingo, will close a week from today on May 30 2025. The process is expected to generate €350m in advance plus a licence fee of 3 per cent per year.
The ADM also confirmed Lottoitalia, a consortium comprising IGT, Allwyn, Novomatic and the Tobacco Retailers Federation as the winner of the main Italian lottery licence for the next nine years. Lottoitalia saw off a challenge from Flutter’s Sisal with a bid of €2.23bn. The ADM said that Lottoitalia performed better on both technical scoring (40 compared to. 38.9) and financial scoring (60 against 59.4) for an overall tender score of 100 compared to Sisal’s 98.3.
The new concession will run to November 2034. Lottoitalia will pay €500m and €300m in 2025 and the remainder in April 2026. There will be a 6 per cent commission on wagers and an 8 per cent fee for B2C online gaming operations.
Land-based gambling reforms
The movements to reform land-based gambling in Italy chug on. The ADM said it was still in conversations with regional authorities on the government’s plans to harmonise regulations across the country.
While draft legislation has been submitted to parliament, deputy economy minister Maurizio Leo has proposed an extension until December 31. He noted that issues such as minimum distance regulations and responsible gambling measures remained a “sensitive issue” requiring collaboration between various stakeholders.
