Italy
In 2009, Italy legalized betting alongside other types of gambling, allowing locals to wager at licensed online and land-based sportsbooks across the country. The sports wagering scene has since experienced significant growth, with dozens of betting apps available for Italian sports fans.
🇮🇹 Legal sports betting apps in Italy:
Online sports betting in Italy - A total gambling law reform ahead?
Gambling has existed in Italy since the ancient Romans, and since then, the country's betting market has grown to the third-largest in Europe, after Germany and the list-topping United Kingdom. However, even with the long gambling-related history, giving online sportsbooks the go-ahead in the country was a challenge.
Before 2006, Italy depended on two monopoly operators backed by the state for online and retail sports betting. During this time, the state blocked all foreign sports betting sites to stop Italians from wagering on them, even though these operators held licenses from other EU countries. However, such a strict approach was seen as violating EU Directives, and after investigating the case, The European Commission brought infringement proceedings against Italy in 2009.
This move from EC resulted in Italian authorities making amendments to the gambling law, and therefore, foreign online gambling operators were allowed to tap into the country's market, giving that these operators acquire proper license issued Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato – Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (AAMS).
From this point forward, online sports betting has been fully legal and broadly available for all Italian citizens as multiple top sportsbooks have entered the market. Around 90 gambling operators are licensed by AAMS, and roughly 30 offer sports betting products.
It's vital to note that Italy is planning a significant overhaul of its gambling laws in 2024 to fight against illegal gambling and increase tax revenues. Here, the most drastic measure would be the massive, 35-fold increase in licensing fees, which would see the fee jump from 2018's €200,000 ($392,000) to €7 million ($7.66 million). Industry stakeholders have criticized this plan, citing that the change would cause remarkable harm to small businesses and hinder the access of new sports betting and gambling operators to the Italian market.
Sports betting legislation in Italy
| Is online sports betting legal in Italy? | Yes |
| Is in-person sports betting legal? | Yes |
| Is daily fantasy sports legal? | Yes |
| Is horse racing betting legal? | Yes |
| Is political betting legal? | Yes |
| Is eSports betting legal? | Yes |
| How many legal sports betting apps are there in Italy? | 30+ |
| Legal age for sports betting in Italy? | 18+ |
| Italy's tax rate for betting/gambling winnings | 0% |
| Who regulates sports betting in Italy? | Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS) |
After legalizing sports betting and allowing foreign sportsbooks to operate in the Italian market via acquired licenses, there haven't been any restrictions regarding betting market availability. All this means that legal Italian betting apps can quite freely provide their customers with basically every type of betting there is, including horse race wagering.
DFS and other types of Fantasy sports are also fully legal in Italy.
Most importantly, according to the country's gambling laws, persons under 18 are prohibited from sports betting. Italy doesn't tax individuals' gambling winnings. Still, the operators are charged a 3% operating fee based on the net revenue income and an extra yearly charge of 0.2% to support initiatives promoting responsible gambling.
Recent updates from the Italian sports betting scene
June 20, 2024: Inter Milan is the early favorite to repeat its Serie A league win in the upcoming 2024-25 season. Bet365 offers Inter -152 odds to win the championship, with Juventus (+400) and city rivals AC Milan (+650) among the TOP3 frontrunners.
June 15, 2024: Italy starts its UEFA Euro 2024 campaign with a 2-1 win over Albania. The defending champion is currently outside the TOP5 favorites to win the Euro title, receiving +1600 odds from Unibet. The three current top frontrunners consist of England (+400), France (+400), and the host country Germany (+425).
April 22, 2024: Inter Milan secures its 20th Serie A championship title with five matches to go after beating AC Milan 2-1 in a heated derby match. With 20 league title honors, Inter can now add a second golden star to its official logo.
April 16, 2024: Betsson Sport has partnered with Serie A's Torino FC, becoming their official sponsor. Announced during a match against Juventus, this collaboration aims to boost both Betsson’s presence in Italy and fan engagement through unique promotions. The partnership is expected to offer memorable experiences and enhance the visibility of Italian sports.
March 28, 2024: Italy's Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) is currently in discussions with officials from 20 autonomous regions and 100 municipalities about implementing reforms from new gambling decrees. These changes aim to update and modify Italy's gambling laws to align with recent trends.
March 7, 2024: Global gambling giant Betsson Group expands its presence in the Italian market by launching its flagship brand, Betsson, in the country. The newly rolled-out platform includes complete online casino offerings and sports betting. The group's other Italian brand, StarCasinò, will continue operating as usual.
All legal gambling options in Italy
| Are online casinos legal in Italy? | Yes |
| Are retail casinos legal? | Yes |
| Are social casinos legal? | Yes |
| Is online poker legal? | Yes |
| Is the lottery legal? | Yes |
In addition to the 2009 legal amendments, which allowed foreign gambling operators to enter the Italian market, two other legislative updates, The Finance Act of 2007 and The "Comunitaria" decree (2011), have been absolute breakthroughs for the country's gambling landscape. After these laws, casinos, poker, and all other card games were legalized in Italy, both in person and online.
Italy boasts a total of five traditional retail casinos, and regarding such establishments, Casinò di Venezia, the first retail casino in the world, opened its doors in 1638 in Venice. Casinò di Campione and Sanremo Casino were founded in early 1900, so it's safe to say that the gambling tradition goes way back in Italy.
Other gambling-related news & stories from Italy
July 10, 2024: Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) has sent the new online gambling regulations to the Treasury, following their April publication. The new nine-year online gambling concession fee is set at €7 million, 35 times higher than the 2018 fee of €200,000. Operators will also pay 3% of their annual gross gaming revenue post-taxes.
May 8, 2024: Gambling operator Elys BMG Group announces the sale of its Rome-based B2C subsidiary Multigioco, which operates the Italian gambling site Newgioco. The betting brand has been actively operating in Italy since 2015. However, Elys did not disclose the buyer in question in the announcement.
April 25, 2024: Lottomatica Group announces the completion of the acquisition of SKS365 Malta Holdings. The deal, originally agreed all the way back to November 2023, covers 100% of SKS365 Malta's share capital valued at a total of $678m (€639m).
March 14, 2024: Social media platform X receives a €1.35 million ($1.5 million) fine from Italy's Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (Agcom) for breaching the country's strict gambling advertising ban.
January 4, 2024: Italy is moving forward with a major overhaul of its online gambling industry in 2024, implementing a decree from the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (MEF) despite disagreements over the new licensing fees, which operators criticize as poorly planned.
Italy - Some commonly asked questions (FAQ)
What is the current legal status of sports betting in Italy?
Since opening its gambling market in 2010, pretty much all forms of sports betting have been legal in Italy. However, operators wishing to tap into the Italian betting market and take wagers from the country must obtain a license from the AAMS.
How has Italy updated its sports betting legislation in recent years?
Italy's betting laws haven't changed much since introducing a licensing system in 2010. However, the country aims to revamp its betting laws in 2024, which would, for example, heavily increase licensing fees legal operators face.
On which sports betting sites do Italians wager the most?
According to recent data, Italian online and retail sports betting markets generated around €243.5M in revenue. Most of this money is wagered at Lottomatica, Sisal, and Snai, which hold the largest market shares in the online sector.
What is the worst sports betting-related scandal in Italy's sports history?
There isn't a shortage of controversies in Italian soccer history. Still, the most recent scandal from 2023, which included over 40 Italian players, including some major stars, allegedly involved in illegal betting, is surely up there.
