In 2024, the sector generated tax revenues of over €11.3 billion.
An industry that in 2024 will provide more than €11.3 billion in tax revenues, against a net player expenditure of €21 billion, equal to 13.7% of the total wagers collected (€154.5 billion). This figure could be even higher if illegal gambling were effectively countered — a social and ethical battle, as well as an economic one. The value of illegal gambling is estimated between €20 and €25 billion in wagers per year, corresponding to over €3 billion in net expenditure (after winnings) and therefore about €2 billion in lost tax revenues.
Businesses have mobilized through the first event organized by Agic, the Association for Licensed Gaming and Entertainment within Confindustria, chaired by Gennaro Schettino. The association brings together the five main licensed gaming concessionaires (Brighstar, Eurobet, Lottomatica, Sisal Italia, and Snaitech), and convened a conference gathering companies, institutions, and policymakers to discuss the measures to be adopted.
A study conducted by Luiss Business School, presented by Professor Alberto Franco Pozzolo, highlighted that the overall number of players and companies in the sector has increased (while large operators remain stable), and employment has grown, reaching over 38,000 people in 2022. About 20% of players also access illegal platforms, although most of them are not aware they are doing so. Those who declare that they knowingly gamble in unauthorized contexts are mainly engaged in slot machines, online casinos, poker, and video lotteries. Illegal gambling is widespread among young people and in smaller towns, especially in Southern Italy. The main reasons cited for using illegal platforms include greater ease of access, faster payments, a more engaging user experience, immediate cashouts, and the absence of taxation. Illegal gambling mainly attracts the most vulnerable players.
The policy actions identified in the study against illegal gambling include not only enforcement, but also offering more attractive legal alternatives; protecting vulnerable groups and strengthening prevention by building messages based on quality and trust; awareness campaigns and psychological support. It is essential to provide licensed operators with adequate and transparent communication tools. The reorganization of the physical gaming sector, as underlined by Giuliano Guinci, Public Affairs, Sustainability & Retail Operations Director at Eurobet Italia and member of the Agic board, represents a crucial opportunity to equip concessionaires with the necessary tools to remain competitive while simultaneously countering illegal channels.
Among the participants were Mario Lollobrigida, Director of Gaming at the Customs and Monopolies Agency, General Michele Carbone of the Guardia di Finanza, and Members of Parliament Ettore Rosato and Dario Damiani. Also in attendance were representatives from Confindustria, Assosistema, the Phonographic Association, the Publishers Association, and Confindustria Radio Televisioni.
Agic President
The Italian regulated gambling market remains one of the largest in Europe, generating €21.6 billion in GGR in 2025 and €11.5 billion in tax revenue. However, the land-based sector has operated for years under repeated extensions, fragmented local regulations, and expired or postponed concessions.
AGIC – Associazione Gioco e Intrattenimento in Concessione, which represents the market’s leading operators – highlighted, in a document presented today in Rome, the critical issues that could arise if the reform is not implemented.
Following an initial phase in which the sector was centrally managed by AAMS, now ADM, Regions and Municipalities have introduced their own regulations in recent years, mainly on public health grounds, restricting the location and opening hours of gaming outlets. This overlap of local rules has created an inconsistent regulatory system which, as also noted by the Council of State, hinders both the planning of the gaming network and the launch of tenders for retail concessions.
AGIC, the association bringing together the main concession operators in the public gaming sector, expresses strong concern over the data contained in the 2026 Report to Parliament on addiction, which documents an increase in minors’ involvement in gambling — a phenomenon that is by definition illegal, given the ban on access for minors — and a broader spread of behavioural addictions, from digital addiction to online and land-based gambling.
The numbers are clear: according to the Report, in 2025, 60% of students gambled at least once in the previous year, with the share of “at-risk” and “problematic” profiles increasing compared with 2024. These are figures that AGIC has no intention of downplaying: they confirm that the problem exists, affects increasingly younger age groups, and requires concrete responses.
Precisely for this reason, the Association reiterates a distinction that the Report itself effectively confirms: underage gambling is, by definition, a phenomenon that takes place outside the legal perimeter, often through channels lacking effective age and identity controls.
