Legal gambling generates around €12 billion per year in tax revenues. In 2024, net expenditure amounted to €21 billion. But what has been defined as “the mother of all battles” is against illegal gambling—particularly online—which is worth between €20 and €25 billion, corresponding to €2 billion annually in lost tax revenues.
According to research by Agic Confindustria (the Association for Licensed Gaming and Entertainment) in collaboration with Luiss Business School, 14% of players unknowingly access illegal channels, unable to distinguish between legal and illegal operators. “Combating illegal gambling requires an integrated approach and strong collaboration among all stakeholders,” said Giuliano Guinci of Eurobet Italia, who stressed the need for companies in the sector to have “the opportunity to communicate with transparency and responsibility.”
For Mario Lollobrigida, Director of Gaming at the Customs and Monopolies Agency, there is “a low or almost non-existent perception of the harmful aspects of this phenomenon: there are sports clubs in Italy that accept sponsorships from illegal gaming operators.”
“We are not operating within a perfectly sealed perimeter. The external variable is the aggressiveness of the illegal market, driven by technological evolution, which is increasingly penetrating the legal market.”
This was underlined by Gennaro Schettino, president of AGIC, during the I-Com conference.
The regulated gambling industry plays a key role not only from an economic perspective but also for its social and regulatory implications, as it represents a significant component of the national economy: in 2024, net expenditure reached €21 billion, while tax revenues exceeded €11 billion.
Yesterday morning, at the Hotel Nazionale in Piazza Montecitorio, the event “Legal Market and Public Gaming: The Role of the Industry”
