Illegal gambling venues shut during sweep in Italy
The ADM was involved in checks on 14 venues in Sicily while the wait continues for long-awaited reforms for land-based gaming.
Italy.- The Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), which regulates gambling in the country, has reported that two overt betting venues were shut down in an enforcement operation across islands in Sicily. The regulator also issued fines totalling more than €20,000.
The ADM said inspectors at its Sicily 6 office in Porto Empedocle carried out checks at 14 betting shops and gaming halls alongside provincial Guardia di Finanza (GdF) inspectors. The venues were located in Agrigento, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera and the Pelagie Islands.
Two premises were found to be functioning as unauthorised betting centres. At one location in Porto Empedocle, officers seized computer terminals that were allegedly disconnected from Italy’s national gaming network and lacked mandatory identification codes. This allowed operators to bypass the counters that record wagers, potentially avoiding payment of the single national gaming levy (PREU) tied to turnover on gaming devices.
The seizure triggered criminal referrals, with the business owner reported to the Agrigento prosecutor’s office on suspicion of illegal betting activity. ADM and the Guardia di Finanza said the investigations remain ongoing.
The enforcement comes as lawmakers continue to debate measures to reshape Italy’s gambling framework. Last month, it was announced that already delayed reforms for land-based gaming in Italy would face a new eight-month delay. The Reorganisation Decree was due to be fully implemented by December, but the government reportedly intends to accept a proposal to put the timeline back to August 2026.
Mariangela Matera, a Fratelli d’Italia MP for Puglia, had suggested that the Ministry of Finance (MEF), extend the adjustment period to 36 months to give regional governments more time to adapt regulations and finalise budget allocations while also allowing the government to update the framework of sanctions for regulatory breaches.
Meanwhile, the Senate has introduced a bill proposing a 2 per cent levy on all domestic football bets to directly fund the sport’s development. The tax would apply to wagers placed both in shops and online, covering matches organised by the FIGC and its affiliated leagues but would not be intended to add to the overall tax burden.
