Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe, member and founder of the EU. With 61 million residents, it is the 4th largest country by population in the European Union.
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 one that appears in written records) 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 and changed its location, it’s still in operation today in Venice as Casino di Venezia, making it the oldest constantly operating casino in the world (you can read more about Italian casinos by clicking here). Gambling clubs afterwards, to avoid the same fate, were closed, members only clubs for the wealthy (really upscale casinos still do this today, and this is where the tradition of VIP rooms, sections come form). These clubs were called casinos, – the word “casino” itself is of Italian origin and it comes form the word casa, which means house. Casinos back then were the playhouses of the wealthy and the nobility and this is where the tradition of exclusive atmosphere, elegance and dress codes of casinos come from (actually there is a clear revival trend, most casinos, in most EU countries try to revive this VIP, upscale, elegant atmosphere to the best of their abilities, and the Vegas style casino for the masses seems to be fading, at least in Europe). Till the late 20th century casinos were mostly membership only clubs for aristocrats, politicians and the wealthy with strict dress code (and women were not 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 the modern, entertainment and touristy hotel & casinos resort spas.
In Italy unlicensed gambling purely based on chance (casino gambling, slots, roulette, traditional casino games) are illegal. However, the state has the right to allow such gambling and issue licenses that cover it despite this. Games of skill, games where the outcome depends on the player’s skills (entirely or partially). E.g.: sports-betting, lotteries, poker are legal and regulated.
Gambling in Italy is legal since 1948 (regulated by article 1 of Legislative Decree no. 496 of 1948 and its many amendments).* Gambling providers have to acquire an Italian gambling license to operate. Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (in English: Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies) regulates and issues all gambling or online gambling licenses, and it is also the supervisory organization. There are 36 casinos operating in the country currently (there were more but due to COVID-19 and before that the 2008 global recession many of them closed). Online gambling is legal too since 2011 (regulated by the 2011 Director decree of Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli and the subsequent decrees and amendments afterward)**, foreign online gambling operators need to obtain a license just like brick & mortar operators. Unlicensed operators are blocked.
Italy has very few casinos (35) considering its 61 million population and the millions of tourists visiting it. E.g.: the Czech Republic has 71 casinos even though the population is just 10 million and they get significantly less tourists (less than third of what Italy gets). The reason for this is that the state grants very few licenses, it’s also said to be a corrupt, and bureaucratic system, and of course the high taxes.
Italy gambling tax
The Italian government created the following tax brackets for the various gambling activities***:
- 18% of gross profits of sports betting
- tax of the land-based casinos is turnover based and depends on the type of gaming machine, ranges from 6.75% on video lottery terminals, to 18.85%for slots.
- 20% of the gross profit of online gambling (except skill games, see below)
- 22% tax on the gross profit on online sports betting
- 11% flat tax rate for bingo
- 25% of the prize pool of distance skill games (e.g.: poker) and distance bingo (e.g.: online bingo), 25% of the prize pool for fixed odds bet on simulated event (e.g.: fantasy football, virtual sports betting), 25% of the amounts not returned to the player + 3% on the total tournament buy-ins sold
- 43% of the gross gaming revenue for land based horse bets
- 47% of the gross gaming revenue for online horse bets
These taxes are in addition to all the other regular taxes. In Italy the horse racing betting tax is extremely high, much higher than the rest of Europe.
The tax regime applying to online gambling is a flat revenue based system. The tax rate is 20% for games of skill (including poker tournaments) and casino games, card games (including poker) and bingo. The rate is 22% for sports betting.
Sources:
*Lawyers.eu – Gambling Law in Italy
***iGamingBusiness: Italy begins 2019 with gambling tax hike
Online casinos accepting players from Italy
The following online gambling websites accept players from Italy:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
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, license required
Casino gambling is legal with a license from AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato), which has the power to issue casino licenses and online casinos licenses to companies. Casinos without a license can not operate and online casinos without a license are blocked. Currently there are around 35 casinos in Italy.
The online gambling licence covers the following games:
- skill games
- tournament and solitaire poker games
- cash poker games
- casino games
- fixed odd and totalisator sports, horse and other events betting
- horse pools
- bingo
The tax on online casinos is 24% of the gross profit and for online poker is 25%. The online casinos below accept players from Italy.
The following online casino websites accept players from Italy:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Bingo in Italy
Online bingo in Italy: legal, requires license
Bingo and online bingo are legal and are regulated by the AMD decree no. 29 from the year 2000. Bingo was actually 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 (hundreds of them, no official data, but there are definitely over a hundred of them, although most only have an Italian website, tourists don’t really visit these). 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. Bingo is considered a skill based game and not a game of chance (which is really dumb and also not true, but you know, its neither here nor there…) and therefore subject to 11% tax, and online bingo to 25% tax.
The online casinos below have live online bingo and accept players from Italy.
The following online casino websites have live bingo and accept players from Italy:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Poker in Italy
Online poker in Italy: legal, requires license
Poker and online poker are legal in Italy. The card game is considered a game of skill, not a game of chance in Italy. Poker was not invented in Italy, but baccarat possibly has been (not conclusively proven). Poker and online poker are subject to 25% taxation (25% of the prize pool). Online and offline poker both require a gambling license gambling from the AAMS. You can play poker outside of licensed casinos in private poker clubs, these are licensed card rooms. Playing poker at home is technically illegal, but just like everywhere else in the world this is not enforced and you won’t be arrested for a friendly game of poker with your friends, even if you bet with real money. Italian online poker networks are allowed to play and compete internationally, it’s not fenced off like the poker market of some EU countries.
The online poker sites below sites accept players from Italy.
The following online casino websites accept players from Italy:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Sports betting in Italy
Online sports betting in Italy: legal, requires licence
Sports betting is legal and in its current form regulated by the Sports Betting Decree number 111, in effect since 2006 (except for virtual sports betting or fantasy football, which are not considered sports betting in Italy). Online sports betting is legal and regulated too since 2011. Bookmakers and online sportsbooks need to acquire a licence form the AAMS. Italy’s favorite sport is football, . and betting on football is a huge industry, with hundreds of bookmakers all throughout the country. Most of the biggest sports betting chains are already licensed and present in Italy with many betting shops and some of them have an online license as well (see below). Online sports betting is thriving as well, domestic and international companies can both get a sports betting license from the Italian government, actually it’s much easier to get a sports betting licence than a casino licence.
The sports betting tax is a very favourable 4.5% one of the lowest in Europe, this applies to online bookmakers as well. No wonder the sports betting industry is thriving in Italy! Compared to the 24% tax on casinos this nothing.
Horse racing betting is regulated separately by horse racing betting law no. 31. and tax is 43% of the gross gaming revenue for land based horse bets and 47% of the gross gaming revenue for online horse bets.
UPDATE: Due to COVID-19 and the detrimental effect this has on Italy’s sporting sector the sports betting tax for brick&mortar ad online bookmakers was lowered to an unbelievable 0.5% of total revenue to help support the sector during these difficult times. This will last util the end of 2021 unless extended.*
The online sportsbooks below accept registrations from Italy.
*Source: Focus Gaming News: Italy: sports betting tax confirmed
The following online sports betting websites accept bettors from Italy:
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
Lottery in Italy
Online lottery in Italy: legal, requires licence
Lottery is legal and regulated by Lotteries Presedient Decree 1677 since 1948., the lotto is currently organized by Lottoitalia. The lotto is technically not a monopoly of SAZKA (the company behind Lottoitalia) but their license will not expire till 2025. The lottery, along with sport betting, was the first type of gambling allowed to be conducted online in 2011. The lottery’s website 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 (which has even bigger jackpots), Euro Jackpot on the website. Lotteries, online lotteries and lottery agencies require a license from the Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies to operate in Italy.
The second most popular lottery in Italy after the lotto is the SuperEnalotto (owned and operated by SISAL), which was first drawn in 1997. This is also not a monopoly and after the license of SISAL ends a new company might take it over in a concession. SuperEnalotto has one of the largest jackpots in the world, the biggest jackpot win so far is €177.7 million. And there are also other regional, smaller lotteries as well.
Apart from SuperEnalotto The following websites let people from Italy purchase lottery tickets online:
Bitcoin gambling in Italy
Bitcoin gambling in Italy: not specifically regulated
Italy does not regulate use of Bitcoin by individuals. As of now, there aren’t any specific laws in Italy concerning bitcoin gambling. Some speculated, that online casinos in Italy can not accept cryptocurrency 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. Therefore, bitcoin can be accepted by casinos and online gambling websites licensed in Italy. However, the government is very hostile to bitcoin because reportedly the Italian maffia uses bitcoin casinos to launder money (,which is a well known fact to everyone in the gambling industry, I have a segment about bitcoin casinos here, where I discuss this among many other things) and therefore none of the licensed casinos or online casinos accept any cryptocurrency.
The following Bitcoin casinos below accept players from Italy.
*Library of Congress – Regulation of Bitcoin
The following online casino websites accept cryptocurrency and players from Italy:
Black Lotus Casino
- Get 200% match bonus, up to $600. Use the code: WELCOME600
- +$30 bonus. Use code: WINBLACK
Bonuses for existing players:
- 32 Free Spins on Sweet Success Code: CHEER1
- 32 Free Spins on Nordic Wild Code: CHEER2
- 32 Free Spins on Cosmopolitan Code: CHEER3
- 32 Free Spins on 7 Chakras Code: CHEER4
- 32 Free Spins on Le Chocolatier Code: CHEER5
- 32 Free Spins on Fairy Dust Forest Code: CHEER6
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
- Playthrough requirement: 40-60x for match bonuses and usually 60x for free spins and other bonuses, depends on the bonus check the casino's web page for the specific, up to date, current playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Wagering limitation:
- 100% - Slots and Keno
- 50% - Roulette and Three Card Poker
- 25% - Baccarat
- 10% - Video Poker
- 5% - Blackjack, Craps
- 0% - Everything else
Bet Online Casino and Sports Book
- Welcome bonus, 100% up to $1,000 on your first three deposits! Use the code BOLCASINO
- 100% welcome match bonus up to 100% on your first deposit using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or DASH. No code required.
Playthrough requirements and wagering limitations
Playthrough requirement: • Slot Games (progressive jackpot slots excluded) 100% • Roulette (All versions), Draw High-Lo, 3 Card Rummy 20% • Baccarat, Blackjack (American & European), Poker 3, Oasis Poker, Single Deck Blackjack, Triple Edge Poker, Caribbean Poker, Three Card Poker, Video Poker 10% • Pirate 21, Blackjack Super 7, Pai Gow, 21 Burn, Ride’m Poker, All forms of Keno, Red Dog, Pontoon, Top Card Trumps 5% • Craps, Live Casino, All Games with Progressive Jackpots, Virtual Racebook. Speciality games ie Keno’s and Scratcher game offered by Betsoft 0%
Wagering limitation:
- Any action on Baccarat, Roulette and Craps will not count towards the wagering requirement.
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.
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: 2020-12-30
Gamble responsibly,
SimonTheSorcerer
