Online Betting in Italy Explained
Italy has never lacked innovation and vision when it comes to online gambling. Italy was among the first EU countries to legalize distant betting — an initiative that has since benefited gamblers as well as state treasuries in the form of gambling taxation. For those looking to find the most competitive options, there are many best betting offers available across the country.
Italian gambling is a big industry, with internet sites only having to be established in any EEA member state rather than having to be set up within Italy proper. Remote gaming certification in Italy has included obtaining a license from the state monopoly authority, Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS).
The country, which is strict on dealing with illegal gambling activities, had the Italian Board of Ministry — Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) impose a major overhaul of the laws on online gambling in Italy. This includes a tender for the award of new online gaming licences to be transferred by the end of the year. The price of each nine-year licence will be €7 million (£6m).
Top Sports to Wager on in Italy
This football-crazy country boasts four World Cup wins to its name. The national squad, the Azzurri, have never been the same since winning the Euro competition at Wembley Stadium. English Premier League (the world's most attended top-division domestic league) and Italian Serie A are where the lion's share of wagers are made across Italy.
The Campania region, whose regional capital is Naples, attracts the highest total bet on football betting, according to Statista. The site reported that the amount of money bet in Italy on football was about four times higher than bets on tennis.
Italian betting decreased dramatically during the pandemic but then rebounded in style. With recent popularity for tennis stars Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, and Jasmine Paolini, the sport is a close second to football when it comes to betting figures.
Basketball is the nation's third most heavily bet sport, with the nation claiming Olympic silver twice. Athletics, cycling, motor sport, volleyball, and winter sports are all a treasured gem of the nation's sporting life, each being a favourite bet among Italy's online sportsbooks.
Calcio Betting
With football (or calcio, to give it its Italian name) the undisputed number one sport to watch and put a flutter on, bookmaking sites in Italy can cater to the demand with an utterly gigantic amount of games and tournaments. Betting strategy will typically go beyond the outrights, such as bets on combinations and the huge amount of markets available. The big stakes wagering will undoubtedly be on the eagerly anticipated Derby d'Italia confrontations between Juventus and Inter Milan, which will be covered in Turin and Milan.
The Serie A season will begin in August with several new head coaches for such giants as AC Milan (Paulo Fonseca), Juventus (Thiago Motta), and Napoli (Antonio Conte). Inter Milan were tight last season, and will be keen to hold onto their league title — the Scudetto. AS Roma and Atalanta could also be in the mix, with newly promoted teams Como, Parma, and Venezia quite capable of producing some surprise results on their return to the Italian top flight.
Due to their defensive style of play, you must always take into account that Serie A is lower on the goals-per-match scale than the majority of European top leagues.
Is Online Betting Legal in Italy?
Gambling is legalized in the country, but after the prohibition on advertising across Italy, the betting market has been at times lawless with illicit online casinos. The so-called "Dignity Decree" prohibited all gambling firm advertisement, from sports jerseys to sponsorship of stadiums.
Italy moved from 1,500 sport betting outlets to instant and sudden growth following the legalisation of real-money skill games and betting exchanges. It was the first EU member country to legalise, license, and regulate internet gambling, also referred to as the "Budget Law". It was the same year that the Calciopoli scandal had broken out, with match-fixing across Serie A sent shockwaves across Italy and saw Juventus demoted to Serie B.
The government legalized online gambling (sports betting, poker and casinos), allowing foreign online gambling firms to provide services across Italy.
The Italian government recently approved the reform of Italian internet gambling and betting laws, increasing the cost of obtaining a licence for online sportsbooks. As a result, there could be fewer bookmakers to bet with for Italian punters — perhaps as many as 40 operators that would collect revenues of approximately €240 million.
Laws for Online Betting in Italy
Italian bettors are blessed with no gambling tax and legalisation permitting a minimum bet of €1. Legal stipulations for serious bettors, however, state that fixed odds wins, excluding horse racing, are capped at €50,000. The minimum age in Italy for any betting or gambling activity like odds, land casinos, lotteries, online casinos, gaming arcades, and bingo is 18 years.
Tax laws promulgated by the Italian government to casinos operators are strictly governed, the tax on income from online gambles at 24% (being higher than revenue from retail gambles of 20%) and 4.5% of revenue of sports online betting on a gross gambling basis.
Responsible gaming principles are embedded in Italian sports betting. Bookmakers are legally required to promote responsible gaming campaigns, including consciousness activities and voluntary self-exclusion programs to support addicted gamblers.
Most Frequently Used Payment Tools by Italian Gamblers
The euro, being the country's currency in Italy, is the most widely used mode of exchange by local betting sites. Because deposits or withdrawals are duty-free and generally charge-free, it means that there are no extra charges on your winnings.
Italian online bookmakers have multiple payment methods, similar to those in the UK and other European countries. Mastercard and Visa debit and credit cards are the most used betting methods in Italy. Instant banking transfer methods, such as Trustly, prepaid methods like paysafecard, and e-wallets Apple Pay, NETELLER, PayPal, and Skrill, are also common among Italian betting apps.
Italian gamblers use Bitcoin and crypto-friendly bookmakers for secure private online gambling to deposit, bet, and cash out winnings. Not all Italian sportsbooks allow you to bet with digital coins, although cryptocurrency usage is on the rise in the country. Nevertheless, always thoroughly read terms and conditions concerning this kind of transaction before using these payment methods.