Simon’s Guide to Gambling and Online Gambling in Italy
Guide to Gambling in Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. With 61 million residents, it is the 4th largest country by population in the European Union. Italy shares borders with Switzerland, Vatican City, Slovenia, Austria, San Marino, and France.
Gambling in Italy existed for centuries dating back to the era of the Roman Empire. Ridotto, is the first gambling house opened in Venice in 1638 (at least the first, we know of), considered the precursor of modern casinos. This establishment was open to the public. However, it attracted the unsavoury elements of society. In the late 18th century, Ridotto was closed down. Gambling clubs afterwards, to avoid the same fate, were closed clubs for the wealthy. These clubs were called casinos, – the word “casino” itself is of Italian origin. This is where the tradition of exclusive atmosphere and elegance of casinos come from. Indeed, till the late 20th century casinos were mostly membership only clubs for aristocrats, politicians and the wealthy with strict dress code (and no women allowed). Those early gambling clubs were hotbeds of intrigue, a place to have business meetings and a place to talk about sensitive topics away from the prying eyes of the public. Gambling was only a side-attraction – these casino clubs were a far cry from modern, entertainment focused hotel & casinos resort spas.
Gambling in Italy is completely legal since 2011.* Gambling providers have to acquire an Italian gambling license to operate. There are numerous brick-and-mortar casinos and other gambling establishments operating around the country. Online gambling is legal too, foreign online gambling operators need to obtain a license just like brick & mortar operators.
The Italian government created tax brackets for the various gambling activities:
- 4.5% on the gross gaming revenue from sports betting,
- 20% on the gross profits of casino games,
- 3% on the total tournament buy-ins sold,
- 11% flat tax rate for bingo and other games of chance.
Sources:
Lawyers.eu – Gambling Law in Italy
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Summary:
- Casino gambling in Italy
- Bingo in Italy
- Poker in Italy
- Sports betting in Italy
- Lottery in Italy
- Bitcoin gambling in Italy
Casino gambling in Italy
Online casino gambling in Italy: legal, licenced
Casino gambling has a rich history in Italy dating back to the 17th century. The word “casino” itself is of Italian origin as the first closed gambling clubs opened in Italy in the 18th century. Public gambling houses were more commonly referred to as gambling dens, not casinos. Gambling and online gambling are legal and regulated in Italy. Today, there are numerous land-based establishments throughout Italy offering the most popular games like poker, roulette, and blackjack and many others. All gambling providers have to acquire a local gambling license issued by AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato – Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies).
The following online casinos accept players from Italy:
32 Red casino – accepting players from Italy
Black lotus casino – accepting players from Italy
Lotus Asia casino – accepting players from Italy
GT Bets accepts players from Italy- accepting Bitcoins as well
Bingo in Italy
Online bingo in Italy: legal, requires license
Bingo was invented in Italy. Therefore it is not surprising, that the game is still very popular today. You can find numerous bingo halls throughout the country. Bingo websites are also eligible for a license, and both domestic and foreign companies can legally organize online bingo games with a license from the government.
The following bingo websites accept players from Italy:
32 Red Bingo – accepting registrations from Italy
Poker in Italy
Online poker in Italy: legal, requires license
Poker is quite possibly the most popular casino game ever created. Even tough poker was not invented in Italy, baccarat possibly has been. Poker is considered a sport, rather than gambling in many countries (poker has no house edge). However, in italy it is still considered a form of gambling. Although the taxation of poker and online poker is very favourable (only 3%). Online and offline poker are both legal in Italy with a gambling license from the AAMS.
The following online poker sites accept players from Italy:
32 Red online Poker – accepting players from Italy
Sports betting in Italy
Online sports betting in Italy: legal, requires sports betting license
Italy’s favorite sport is football. And sports betting (betting on football) is almost just as popular. Most of the biggest sports betting chains are already licensed and present in Italy with many betting shops. Online sports betting is thriving as well, domestic and international companies can both get a sports betting license from the Italian government.
The following online sportsbooks accept registrations from Italy:
32 Red sport online sportsbook – accepting players from Italy
GT Bets online bookmaker – accepts registrations from the Italy, also accepts Bitcoin
Lottery in Italy
Online lottery in Italy: legal, requires license
Lottery is the most common form of gambling in the world. It is safe to say that where gambling is legal, there is at least a national lottery. The most popular lottery in Italy is the SuperEnalotto, which was first drawn in 1997. The lottery, along with sport betting, was the first type of gambling allowed to be conducted online. SuperEnalotto has one of the largest jackpots in the world, the biggest jackpot win so far is €177.7 million. The lottery’s website still sells lottery tickets online and it has a mobile app as well. Italian residents can also purchase the tickets of other lotteries, including, but not limited to El Gordo – the Spanish lottery, Euro Jackpot etc… Lotteries, online lotteries and lottery agencies require a license from the Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies to operate in Italy.
The following websites let people from Italy purchase lottery tickets online:
Coming soon!
Bitcoin gambling in Italy
Bitcoin gambling in Italy: legal, licensed
Italy does not regulate use of Bitcoin by individuals. As of now, there aren’t any specific laws in Italy concerning Bitcoin gambling or Bitcoin in general. Some speculated, that online casinos in Italy can not accept Bitcoins, because the use of electronic currency is restricted to banks and electronic money institutions*. However, online casinos do not process transactions, the transactions are handled by third-party payment processors, which are considered money institutions. Therefore, Bitcoin can be accepted by casinos and online gambling websites licensed in Italy.
The following Bitcoin casinos accept players from Italy:
GT Bets accepts players from Italy, and also accepts Bitcoin
*Library of Congress – Regulation of Bitcoin
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If you have questions or any feedback don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. Please let me know in the comments section if you think we might have gotten something wrong or if you have additional information, clarification about the legal status of online gambling in this country.
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This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2016-04-17
