Gambling laws in Italy

Italy is currently undergoing a massive regulatory shift, transitioning into a new licensing era defined by the 2024 Reorganisation Decree. As of early 2026, the market has moved toward a highly concentrated model with significantly higher entry barriers and enhanced digital monitoring. This report provides a detailed overview of the legal status, taxation, and player protection within the Italian gambling market, which remains one of the largest and most strictly regulated in Europe. 

Is gambling legal in Italy?

Yes, gambling is legal and strictly regulated by the state through the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM). However, legality is exclusively tied to holding a valid state concession. Operating without an ADM license is a criminal offense. 

Short answer to legal status

All primary forms of gambling, including casinos, sports betting, and online gaming, are legal for adults aged 18 and over. Italy operates a strict “license-per-site” regime, meaning an operator can only run one authorized website per license: 

• casinos – legal in four physical locations (historical concessions) and via regulated online platforms, 
• sports betting – legal through licensed retail shops and digital platforms; fixed-odds and exchange betting are permitted, 
• online gambling – fully regulated; as of November 2025, a new licensing phase has significantly reduced the number of active operators. 

Legal status of gambling in Italy

The Italian legal framework is built on a state monopoly system, where the State delegates the management of games to private entities through concessions. 

Land-based gambling

Retail gambling is currently in a “transition phase.” While existing venues operate under the TULPS (Consolidated Law on Public Safety), a major overhaul of land-based regulations initially set for 2025 has been postponed to August 2026. This upcoming reform aims to: 

• unify licensing for all physical venues, 
• enforce distance rules from sensitive locations like schools and churches, 
• introduce mandatory ID checks at the entry of all gaming areas. 

Online gambling

The online sector was fully reset in November 2025. Key changes in effect for 2026 include: 

• end of skins – secondary websites are now prohibited. Each concessionaire is limited to one official website, 
• high entry costs – new 9-year licenses now cost €7 million aimed at weeding out smaller, less stable operators, 
• cyber shield – the Italian government and SOGEI have implemented a cybersecurity shield to automatically block access to unlicensed gambling domains. 

Taxation of gambling in Italy

Italy employs a complex taxation system where rates vary significantly by product type. 

Additional operator fees:

• annual concession fee 3% of net gaming revenue, 
• responsible gambling contribution operators must invest 0.2% of net revenue into social responsibility campaigns. 
• digital services tax (DST) – Italy’s 3% digital services tax may apply only to qualifying digital intermediation or advertising revenues and is not a gambling-specific tax.

Taxation for players:

In Italy winnings from licensed operators are generally taxed at the source. The amount credited to the player’s account is already “net,” meaning players do not need to declare these winnings on their personal income tax returns. 

Player protection and responsible gambling

Italy has one of the world’s most aggressive stances on player protection, characterized by a total advertising ban: 

• advertising ban – since 2019, all forms of gambling advertising, sponsorship (including football shirts), and indirect promotion are strictly prohibited, 
• identity verification – integration with SPID (Digital Identity System) or CIE (Electronic ID) is increasingly mandatory for instant age and identity verification, 
• national self-exclusion register (RUA) – a centralized database allows players to exclude themselves from all licensed sites simultaneously for 30, 60, 90 days, or indefinitely, 
• 2026 partial self-exclusion – starting February 1, 2026, new rules allow selective exclusion, where a player can block access to specific categories (e.g., just slots) while keeping sports betting active.