The Italian gambling market shrugged off the recession last year, delivering a 14.4 percent rise in wagers to Euro 54.4 billion according to the latest figures from regulator AAMS.
Bets during December 2009 reached Euro 5.36 billion and included Euro 2.65 billion on slot machines and Euro 921 million on scratchcards.December’s numbers boosted the percentage increase for the year beyond the 12.96 increase recorded in the first 11 months, and were higher than the previous (November) month’s Euro 4.604 billion.
Lottomatica reported scratchcard increases up 35 percent on November, and lotto wagering up 22 percent to Euro 536 million. Sisal also reported buoyant conditions, with the SuperEnalotto game revenues rising 8 percent to Euro 335 million over November statistics.
SNAI reported that punters were also keen on horse racing, where wagers rose 7 percent to Euro 166 million.