Slots
Roulette
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Videopoker
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Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Gambling Games in Italy
Just like in other European regions, products of worldly renowned developers are popular in Italy as well: Greentube, Playtech, NetEnt, Betsoft, IGT, Microgaming and others. The Book of Ra slot has long been a favourite among the players in this country. This Egypt-themed slot by Austrian developer Greentube is popular in both its classical and updated versions: Deluxe and Deluxe 6. These are the models that are listed among the most popular slots in Italy: Treasures of Troy (IGT), Dolphin’s Pearl (Greentube), Starburst (NetEnt), Sizzling Hot Deluxe (Greentube), Gladiator (Playtech) and Avalon (Microgaming). On SlotsPlay, visitors from Italy most often play Dolphin’s Pearl (Greentube), Playtech table games such as Buster Blackjack and Premium European Roulette, EGT titles such as 40 Burning Hot and Amatic slots such as Wolf Moon and Book of Fortune; Pragmatic Play is the next most played provider. Domestic studios play a minor role, and it is foreign software products that are primarily in most demand.
Gambling Legislation
There was a time when the country became a pioneer in the area of organising legal gambling. It was here, or specifically in Venice, where the very first casino in history was opened in 1638, which was called Ridotto Gambling House. Today online gambling in Italy is based on Law No. 88 of 7 July 2009 (Article 24), whose provisions took effect in 2011, and on Legislative Decree No. 41 of 25 March 2024, which reorganised remote gambling. This law states that the following varieties of gambling entertainment are allowed on the country's soil: sports betting and other types of betting, card games, slots and other games run by a random number generator, lotteries and bingo and table games. Up until 2006 Italy had a ban on the types of gambling where the winnings would be random instead of depending on the skills of the players. Nevertheless, under the influence of infringement proceedings by the European Commission, the government changed its priorities and the list of permitted games was expanded. Right now the valid list of remote games is the one set out in Article 6 of Legislative Decree 41/2024. In Italy all categories of people have access to gambling entertainment, except for those who have not reached the age of 18. Gambling establishments cannot be located near schools, churches or hospitals. Aside from casinos, slot machines in Italy can be placed in other public facilities provided that the appropriate permit has been obtained.
Regulators
The Customs and Monopolies Agency (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, ADM), which absorbed the former Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (AAMS) in 2012 and operates under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, is the government body that licenses and oversees gambling operators; the police and the Ministry of the Interior act against illegal gambling. Taxation is not uniform: gaming machines are taxed on the amounts staked, while sports betting, online casino games, skill games and online bingo are taxed on the operator’s margin (stakes minus winnings) – online bingo, for example, pays 25% of the margin since 2019. Lotto, lotteries and national number games are run by single concessionaires, and the state keeps what remains after prizes and commissions. In 2024 gaming machines provided about 50% of the state’s gambling revenue, number games and lotteries about 34% and betting about 7%.
Online gambling in Italy
Italy was one of the first large markets in the European Union that officially allowed online casinos at the legislative level. The road towards legalising online gambling started back in 2006. It was spurred by an investigation run by the European Commission. The restrictions that were in force at that time were in contradiction to a number of EU directives. As a result, the 2009 law was passed that lifted the ban on online gambling, and online casino games were offered legally from 2011. According to Italian laws, online gambling operators must provide proper equipment to ensure the safety of the players and to create the conditions that would prevent minors from participating in games. Websites that do not comply with these requirements and do not have an Italian license will be blocked by the providers of telecommunications services. Since 2018 the “Dignity Decree” (Decree-Law 87/2018, Article 9) has banned almost all forms of advertising for games and bets with cash winnings.
Gambling Licenses
The Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM, formerly AAMS) is the issuing authority that grants the permission to conduct gambling activities in Italy. Under Legislative Decree 41/2024, online concessions are awarded through a public tender. To take part, the company must be a limited company with its registered office in the European Economic Area and must have earned at least 3 million EUR from gambling operations in the last two financial years. A company that plans to run an online casino must provide evidence, certified by an independent third party, that the equipment and software that are used is stable and safe, and must keep its servers in the EEA. A mandatory one-time fee is 7 million EUR per concession (4 million on award and 3 million when operations start), and a single group may hold no more than five concessions. The operators must also pay an annual concession fee of 3% of their net margin, and each concession may use only one website on a national .it domain.
Licensed games
These are the types of gambling entertainment that are licensed online in Italy: Skill games, Poker (including tournament games), Casino games (fixed-odds games of chance), Bingo, Bookmaking and Betting on sports and horse races, pool betting and peer-to-peer betting exchanges. Lotto, national number games and instant lotteries can be sold online only by or under licence from their single concessionaires. The license is issued for a maximum of 9 years and cannot be renewed.
Development of the Gambling Market in Italy
The Gambling industry in Italy has been showing a stable increase. According to ADM, in 2024 player spending on remote gambling reached 5.07 billion EUR (+16.6% on 2023). Online casino games were the largest segment with 2.80 billion EUR (+18.1%), followed by online sports betting with 1.80 billion EUR (+11.7%); online poker tournaments accounted for 113 million EUR and cash and solitaire card games for 61 million EUR. Land-based gambling remained stable at 16.48 billion EUR of player spending, more than half of it from gaming machines. In 2024 about 20 million online gaming accounts were active. The Gambling Market in Italy piques the interest among the international operators. Domestic groups such as Lottomatica, Sisal and Snai compete with international operators such as bet365, 888 and others that are already operating in the country. The existing online concessions were extended in December 2024 and again in 2025 while ADM ran the tender for the new nine-year concessions under Legislative Decree 41/2024. The re-licensing procedure allows operators to take stock and evaluate the feasibility of entering the Italian market, although the 7 million EUR fee per concession raises the entry barrier. In 2025 and 2026 ADM also introduced digital identity tools for opening gaming accounts and a portal for player complaints about online gambling. The development of the gambling industry in Italy can also allow you to predict the emergence of major domestic developers. In many occasions Italy has already shown itself as a country that sets a positive example to other states in terms of gambling regulation. This also concerns the opening of the first official gambling house in history, and the creation of a positive precedent for the legalisation of online casinos in the EU. Italian laws equally apply to both players and operators.
