In Italy, gambling, betting, and lotteries are legal. To operate them, providers must acquire a gambling license issued by the state. In 2022, the
peaked at over 136 billion euros, growing by roughly 23 percent from 2019, the year before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Similarly, the
also recovered from the impact of the health crisis, surpassing 20 billion euros in 2022. The GGR, namely the profit made by game providers, is the difference between the amount wagered and the total player wins. In 2022, amusement with prize (AWP) slot machines and video lottery terminals (VLTs) gambling machines were the
The rise of online gambling
While the COVID-19 crisis hit the
Italian retail gambling segment hard, online gambling gained momentum during the pandemic, as Italian gamblers who were forced to stay at home during the national lockdowns resorted to online gaming. This segment’s growth did not stop in 2022, when the
total amount wagered in the online gambling market in Italy exceeded 73 billion euros, doubling in value from 2019. Meanwhile, the GGR of this market reached nearly 3.9 billion euros that year, the highest figure recorded since 2017. Overall, online card games and fixed odd games reported the highest
gross gaming revenue in the online gambling market in Italy in 2022, followed by sports betting.
Sports betting in Italy: soccer leads the way
Soccer dominates the
Italian sports betting market, with wagers quickly recovering from the impact of COVID-19. In 2022, bettors punted approximately 13 billion euros on soccer matches, roughly four times the amount wagered on tennis. That year, the Serie A championship was the
league with the highest amount wagered on soccer betting, followed by the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the
UEFA Champions League. When considering the retail market, Campania was the
Italian region with the highest amount wagered on soccer in 2022. Looking at the online sports betting segment, Lottomatica was the
sports betting operator holding the highest share of the market in Italy in December 2023, ahead of Sisal, Snai, and Bet365.
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