Italian online gambling market on the rise

Figures from the Italian regulator AAMS show that Italian online punters spent Euro 821 million with licensed betting operators last year, a year-on-year increase of 13 percent.

Online gambling contributed 4.8 percent of total gambling wagering, up by 0.6 percent from the preceding year, with growth mainly in casino gaming which grew 27 percent over the year to Euro 328 million.

Sports betting rose 25 percent to Euro 267 million but online poker, bingo and virtual sports betting markets continued to contract, with poker down 18 percent and bingo and virtual down seven percent.

The Italian government benefitted handsomely from gambling fees and taxes, taking in Euro 205 million – a 23 percent year-on-year growth.

Marco Planzi, director of the Politecnico di Milano’s Osservatorio Gioco Online, which helped the regulator with the numbers, said: “This year’s research shows how Italy is an attractive market for both Italian and foreign companies.”

He added that there had been some market consolidation, but that major foreign companies had also entered the market.