Italians hammer illegal online gambling operators

The Italian regulator Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli’s latest report illustrates that illegal activity in the Italian online gambling market is an increasingly hazardous and risky business.

State officials blocked more than 5,200 online gambling sites in 2014, and 114 prosecutions resulted in the imposition of 98 penalties amounting to Euro 907,999.

The report indicates that remote skill games generated revenues of Euro 734 million, and “collections from card games organised in a different way from tournaments and games of chance with fixed odds,” brought in Euro 11.5 billion.

Newly introduced virtual sports and betting exchanges generated Euro 1.1 billion and Euro 205 million in revenues respectively.

On a more general level, the reports shows that total gaming revenues in Italy reached Euro 84.4 billion in 2014, from which the Italian Treasury benefitted to the tune of Euro 7.7 billion in 2014 – a decline from the preceding year’s Euro 8.1 billion.

Amusement With Prizes (AWP) games continued to drive the market, delivering revenues of Euro 25.3 billion, whilst video lottery terminals created revenues of Euro 21.4 billion.

Euro 231 million came from devices without cash prizes; bingo brought in Euro 1.6 billion and horse race wagers Euro 682 million.

Euro 4.2 billion came from sports betting; lotteries Euro 9.4 billion and numerical games with a totalisator Euro 1.2 billion. National Lotto sales came in at Euro 6.6 billion.

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