In Italy, gambling began to develop around the mid-16th century. Initially practiced mainly in aristocratic and intellectual circles, it gradually spread to the bourgeoisie and lower classes. The evolution of gambling followed the development of regulations, and today, the national public gaming legislation is characterized by a complex web of laws that include state, regional, and municipal regulations.
The first game to be officially recognized at the national level in Italy was the Lotto in 1863. However, Lotto had already been widely played across the country, and the state’s intervention, which came shortly after the unification of the Kingdom of Italy, primarily focused on legalizing and regulating it nationwide.
Between 1897 and 1992, under the leadership of Francesco Crispi, the Ministry of the Interior was entrusted with overseeing and regulating legal gaming, as well as sanctioning illegal gaming, in order to protect citizens.
Although the government took control of the Lotto monopoly soon after the unification of Italy, it took nearly seventy years before the first national lottery linked to a sporting event was introduced in 1932: the “Lotteria di Tripoli”, associated with a car race.
A significant expansion of gaming options occurred in the mid-20th century with the introduction of sports-related games, especially in football and horse racing. This led to the creation of Totocalcio in 1946, Totip in 1948, and Tris in 1958, along with national lotteries and other popular initiatives. During this period, the first legal casinos opened, such as those in Sanremo, Venice, Saint-Vincent, and Campione d’Italia.
With Legislative Decree No. 496 of April 14, 1948, the state gained total control over public gaming. The Ministry of Finance was entrusted with organizing and managing these activities, which could either be operated directly by the state or granted under concession to legal or private entities, provided they met proper suitability requirements.
Between 1992 and 2002, Italy experienced a deregulation of gambling, initiated in 1992, which transformed public gaming into a fiscal tool to address the economic crisis and reduce public debt. During this period, there was a significant reorganization of the authorization, concession, and management processes for games, including the outsourcing of collection points in 1992.
In 1994, the “Gratta e Vinci” (Scratch and Win) was introduced, Italy’s first instant lottery that allowed players to immediately know the outcome of the game. Starting in 1997, the state continually expanded its gaming offerings, increasing the number of Lotto draws from once to twice a week. On December 3 of the same year, the “SuperEnalotto” was launched.
In the sports betting sector, “Totogol” was introduced in 1994, followed by “Totosei,” which was active from 1998 to 2003. However, the most significant innovation came in 1998 with the introduction of fixed-odds sports betting, which allowed bettors to place wagers on multiple unrelated sporting events.
From 2003 to 2010, the Italian government undertook a process to make gambling an independent economic sector. This required a reorganization that began with Law No. 383 of October 18, 2001, which consolidated the functions of organizing and managing games, bets, and prize competitions under a unified structure.
In 2002, with Legislative Decree No. 138 of July 8, 2002, the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (AAMS)—now the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM)—took responsibility for organizing, managing, and controlling games, betting, and prize contests. The ADM was tasked with regulating payment methods for remote gaming and lotteries, both deferred and instant, including remote lotteries.
Also in 2002, a decree from the Ministry of Economy and Finance dated May 31 marked a significant change: online bets on sports events were accepted, thus introducing two gaming modes: traditional and remote gaming, commonly known as online gaming.
On May 1, 2004, with the Directorial Decree of December 4, 2003, and article 110, paragraph 6, letter a) of the Consolidated Law on Public Security (T.U.L.P.S.), video poker machines were replaced with new slot machines (AWP or New Slot) to combat illegal gambling and criminal infiltration. These new slot machines could only operate if connected to the ADM’s telematic network, ensuring greater control.
In 2006, Legislative Decree No. 223 of July 4, 2006—known as the Bersani Decree—allowed foreign operators to enter the Italian gambling market, liberalizing the online gambling sector while still requiring operators to obtain a license from the ADM for oversight. This measure was aimed at curbing irregular gambling, tax evasion, and avoidance while protecting players.
Article 38 of the decree assigned the ADM the task of reorganizing the sector, welcoming operators from other states. This initiated a general liberalization of the market, regulating various segments of the gambling offering.
The year 2011 was particularly significant for gambling in Italy, marked by several key regulatory interventions. The Directorial Decree No. 666 of April 11, 2011, introduced cash poker and casino games, while the “Ferragosto Decree”—Legislative Decree No. 138 of August 13, 2011—liberalized online gambling.
At the same time, with Law No. 148 of September 14, 2011, the ADM (Customs and Monopolies Agency) gained greater autonomy. This allowed the agency to introduce new games, organize lotteries (including instant-win lotteries), modify the rules for Lotto and other numerical games, adjust the percentage allocated to prize pools and cash winnings, and alter the unified tax levy and the compensation for management activities and sales points.
In the same year, Law No. 111 of July 15, 2011, strengthened the ban on minors participating in public games with cash prizes, introducing measures to prevent gambling addiction. This law initiated procedures for analyzing and monitoring gambling behaviors, with the aim of implementing interventions to prevent problem gambling (ludopathy).
The first game to be officially recognized at the national level in Italy was the Lotto in 1863. However, Lotto had already been widely played across the country, and the state’s intervention, which came shortly after the unification of the Kingdom of Italy, primarily focused on legalizing and regulating it nationwide.
Between 1897 and 1992, under the leadership of Francesco Crispi, the Ministry of the Interior was entrusted with overseeing and regulating legal gaming, as well as sanctioning illegal gaming, in order to protect citizens.
Although the government took control of the Lotto monopoly soon after the unification of Italy, it took nearly seventy years before the first national lottery linked to a sporting event was introduced in 1932: the “Lotteria di Tripoli”, associated with a car race.
A significant expansion of gaming options occurred in the mid-20th century with the introduction of sports-related games, especially in football and horse racing. This led to the creation of Totocalcio in 1946, Totip in 1948, and Tris in 1958, along with national lotteries and other popular initiatives. During this period, the first legal casinos opened, such as those in Sanremo, Venice, Saint-Vincent, and Campione d’Italia.
With Legislative Decree No. 496 of April 14, 1948, the state gained total control over public gaming. The Ministry of Finance was entrusted with organizing and managing these activities, which could either be operated directly by the state or granted under concession to legal or private entities, provided they met proper suitability requirements.
Between 1992 and 2002, Italy experienced a deregulation of gambling, initiated in 1992, which transformed public gaming into a fiscal tool to address the economic crisis and reduce public debt. During this period, there was a significant reorganization of the authorization, concession, and management processes for games, including the outsourcing of collection points in 1992.
In 1994, the “Gratta e Vinci” (Scratch and Win) was introduced, Italy’s first instant lottery that allowed players to immediately know the outcome of the game. Starting in 1997, the state continually expanded its gaming offerings, increasing the number of Lotto draws from once to twice a week. On December 3 of the same year, the “SuperEnalotto” was launched.
In the sports betting sector, “Totogol” was introduced in 1994, followed by “Totosei,” which was active from 1998 to 2003. However, the most significant innovation came in 1998 with the introduction of fixed-odds sports betting, which allowed bettors to place wagers on multiple unrelated sporting events.
In 2002, with Legislative Decree No. 138 of July 8, 2002, the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (AAMS)—now the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM)—took responsibility for organizing, managing, and controlling games, betting, and prize contests. The ADM was tasked with regulating payment methods for remote gaming and lotteries, both deferred and instant, including remote lotteries.
Also in 2002, a decree from the Ministry of Economy and Finance dated May 31 marked a significant change: online bets on sports events were accepted, thus introducing two gaming modes: traditional and remote gaming, commonly known as online gaming.
On May 1, 2004, with the Directorial Decree of December 4, 2003, and article 110, paragraph 6, letter a) of the Consolidated Law on Public Security (T.U.L.P.S.), video poker machines were replaced with new slot machines (AWP or New Slot) to combat illegal gambling and criminal infiltration. These new slot machines could only operate if connected to the ADM’s telematic network, ensuring greater control.
In 2006, Legislative Decree No. 223 of July 4, 2006—known as the Bersani Decree—allowed foreign operators to enter the Italian gambling market, liberalizing the online gambling sector while still requiring operators to obtain a license from the ADM for oversight. This measure was aimed at curbing irregular gambling, tax evasion, and avoidance while protecting players.
Article 38 of the decree assigned the ADM the task of reorganizing the sector, welcoming operators from other states. This initiated a general liberalization of the market, regulating various segments of the gambling offering.
The 2006 legislation also defined the characteristics of outlets dedicated to the sale of public gaming products, such as betting agencies, public gaming halls, and bingo halls, regulated by the decree of the Minister of Finance dated January 31, 2000, No. 29.
The year 2011 was particularly significant for gambling in Italy, marked by several key regulatory interventions. The Directorial Decree No. 666 of April 11, 2011, introduced cash poker and casino games, while the “Ferragosto Decree”—Legislative Decree No. 138 of August 13, 2011—liberalized online gambling.
At the same time, with Law No. 148 of September 14, 2011, the ADM (Customs and Monopolies Agency) gained greater autonomy. This allowed the agency to introduce new games, organize lotteries (including instant-win lotteries), modify the rules for Lotto and other numerical games, adjust the percentage allocated to prize pools and cash winnings, and alter the unified tax levy and the compensation for management activities and sales points.
In the same year, Law No. 111 of July 15, 2011, strengthened the ban on minors participating in public games with cash prizes, introducing measures to prevent gambling addiction. This law initiated procedures for analyzing and monitoring gambling behaviors, with the aim of implementing interventions to prevent problem gambling (ludopathy).
Two key factors influenced the birth and growth of this sector: the first was regulation, as at the dawn of the internet era, there was no specific global regulation for online gambling. The second factor was innovation.
In 1995, “Microgaming,” the first online gambling software, was developed. It was based on Random Number Generator (RNG) technology, which was essential to ensure the fairness of the games.
Shortly after, Cryptologic Inc. was established, a company that introduced innovative solutions for digital payment systems. This innovation laid a solid foundation for the online gambling sector, as consumer trust in the security of online transactions was crucial for the success of both e-commerce and digital gaming.
These factors led to the rapid growth of the online gambling industry. By the end of 1996, there were only fifteen websites accepting real-money online bets, but by 1997, the number of operators had risen to 200, surpassing 650 in 1999, and reaching 1,800 by 2002.
By 2008, an estimated 2,069 active websites were concentrated among 436 controlling companies. In recent years, the introduction of new games has seen a slower growth rate due to the consolidation phase within the industry, with 2,316 active sites by 2010.
A major milestone occurred in 2006, when Italy became one of the first countries in the world to legalize online gambling, paving the way for stronger regulation and an expanding market.
The online gambling sector is relatively new, having emerged in the early 1990s with the spread of the internet and the advent of the digital era. However, the development of online gaming was initially slow, mainly due to regulatory issues.
Two key factors influenced the birth and growth of this sector: the first was regulation, as at the dawn of the internet era, there was no specific global regulation for online gambling. The second factor was innovation.
In 1995, “Microgaming,” the first online gambling software, was developed. It was based on Random Number Generator (RNG) technology, which was essential to ensure the fairness of the games.
Shortly after, Cryptologic Inc. was established, a company that introduced innovative solutions for digital payment systems. This innovation laid a solid foundation for the online gambling sector, as consumer trust in the security of online transactions was crucial for the success of both e-commerce and digital gaming.
These factors led to the rapid growth of the online gambling industry. By the end of 1996, there were only fifteen websites accepting real-money online bets, but by 1997, the number of operators had risen to 200, surpassing 650 in 1999, and reaching 1,800 by 2002.
By 2008, an estimated 2,069 active websites were concentrated among 436 controlling companies. In recent years, the introduction of new games has seen a slower growth rate due to the consolidation phase within the industry, with 2,316 active sites by 2010.
A major milestone occurred in 2006, when Italy became one of the first countries in the world to legalize online gambling, paving the way for stronger regulation and an expanding market.
