🇮🇹Italy gambling regulation

Legal framework at a glance

Italy has one of Europe’s oldest regulated online gambling markets. Gaming is a state reserve, and private operators offer it under concessions granted by the state. The Bersani Decree of 2006 opened online betting and skill games to EU-licensed operators, and online casino games and cash poker followed in 2011.

The most significant recent change is Legislative Decree 41/2024 of March 2024, which reorganised remote gaming under the 2023 tax reform enabling law. It set new concession terms, strengthened player protection and reinforced ADM’s enforcement powers.

Item	Position (October 2026)
Regulator	Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM)
Online casino, betting, poker	Licensed via concessions
Lotto, SuperEnalotto, scratchcards	Single concessionaire per game (state monopoly)
Advertising	Near-total ban since 2019
Self-exclusion	RUA national register

The regulator

The Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) is the customs and monopolies agency under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It awards and supervises gaming concessions, certifies games, runs the central control systems that record every bet, manages self-exclusion and blocks illegal websites.

Licensing

Under D.Lgs. 41/2024, online concessions:

• cost €7 million each;
• last nine years;
• cover a single website (an operator wanting more brands needs more concessions);
• require operators to contribute to responsible-gambling funding.

The new concessions awarded under the decree took effect in late 2025, ending the previous system in which one concession could support many “skins”. See licensing costs compared and gambling licensing models.

Online products — what is and isn’t legal

Licensed operators may offer sports and horse-race betting, casino games, slots, poker, bingo and skill games. Lotto, SuperEnalotto and instant lotteries are run by single concessionaires on behalf of the state. Sites without an ADM concession are illegal and blocked.

Taxation

Online gambling is taxed product by product. For example, remote fixed-odds sports betting is taxed at 24.5% of gross gaming revenue, and online casino games and poker are also taxed on GGR at rates set by law. Concession fees and the responsible-gambling contribution come on top. Rates have changed several times, so check the current tables published by ADM. See gambling taxation compared.

Advertising and marketing rules

The Decreto Dignità (Decree-Law 87/2018) imposed a near-total ban on gambling advertising and sponsorship across TV, radio, print, online and sport, in force since 2019. Breaches carry substantial fines. Brand-name sponsorship by gambling companies in football has been a recurring subject of debate, with industry calls to relax the ban. As of October 2026 the ban remains in force. See gambling advertising rules.

Player-protection requirements

• Verified accounts: every account must be identity-verified using the codice fiscale.
• Limits: players must set deposit limits.
• Self-exclusion: operators must offer self-exclusion feeding into ADM’s central register.
• Funding top-ups: D.Lgs. 41/2024 tightened rules on how gaming accounts can be funded, including cash top-ups.
• Minors: gambling by minors is prohibited, with penalties for operators who allow it.

See age verification requirements.

Enforcement against unlicensed operators

ADM maintains a public blacklist of illegal gambling sites that Italian internet providers must block, redirecting users to a warning page. Payment blocking and criminal sanctions apply to unlicensed operation. D.Lgs. 41/2024 strengthened sanctions further. See payment blocking and ISP blocking.

What this means for players

Licensed Italian gambling sites display the ADM logo and concession number, and appear on ADM’s public list of authorised sites. Under the new single-website model, each brand needs its own concession, so the list is the best way to check legality. Sites on ADM’s blacklist are blocked by Italian internet providers; trying to circumvent the block means playing without Italian protections, self-exclusion or a regulator to complain to.

If you are worried about your gambling, the most effective steps are an indefinite self-exclusion through the national register, a visit to your local SerD for free assessment and treatment, and blocking tools on your devices and bank account. Families can contact the Telefono Verde or local services for advice even if the person gambling is not ready to seek help. See supporting a partner or family member.

How the Italian model compares

Italy combines a fully licensed online market with one of the strictest advertising regimes in Europe. Few other large markets ban gambling advertising almost entirely, and the comparison with the United Kingdom, where advertising is permitted under codes, is often used in debates about whether ad bans reduce harm or push players toward unlicensed sites. The single-website concession model introduced in 2024 is also unusual and is being watched by other regulators. See gambling advertising rules.

Recent developments and what to watch

• New concessions: how the single-website model reshapes the market after the late-2025 start.
• Land-based reform: reform of land-based gaming, the second half of the reorganisation, has been repeatedly debated with the regions.
• Advertising: possible easing of the ban for sponsorship remains under discussion.

For practical help, see self-exclusion in Italy and Italian support services.