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Italian Gambling Laws – From Taxation To Gaming Licences

Gambling in Italy has an extremely long history. In fact, many of the casino games we play today have their origins in Ancient Rome. What's interesting is that Italian's love of gambling isn't something that's looked down upon or seen in an overly negative light. That's not to say that the government doesn't care for gamblers' well-being. They impose strict licencing requirements on all casino operators. But on the other hand, they are very relaxed when it comes to maintaining lower tax rates.

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A Concise Guide To Italian Gambling Laws

The Mediterranean country of Italy has developed its own set of gambling laws that are quite far removed from those you might find in many other EU countries. One thing this legislation has achieved and is to create conditions whereby both brick-and-mortar and online casino operators can grow and thrive. Thanks to Italian gambling laws, all Italians can enjoy a huge range of gambling games.

The History of Italian Gambling

In many ways, Italy is no different when it comes to the history of gambling from many other countries around the world. There is plenty of evidence gambling took place in ancient times. We can see many examples of this thanks to murals and other illustrative works from the time of the Roman Empire. Many of today’s more popular casino games originated in Italy. These include such favourites as bingo and bacharach. On a more basic level, it was the Italians that gave us the word “casino” in the first place.

The First casino Was In Venice

To all intents and purposes, you can consider Italy as responsible for the greatest contribution to gambling from any one country. For starters, the first casino ever opened was in Venice and was called the “Ridotto.” Although Venice was once considered the centre of Italian gambling, today more gambling tourists prefer to go to the northern city of Milan. What helps the whole gambling industry in Italy is the fact that gambling and casino games are not seen in a negative light.

Having said that, you’ll find that the Italian gaming industry is quite heavily regulated. By carefully studying the motivations and desires of casino players, the gambling laws that were put into place over the last few decades act as a benchmark in quality for many other European countries.

Italian Gambling Laws About Land-Based Gaming

As you’re probably aware, land-based casinos in Italy are famous throughout the whole world for both luxury and excellent service. You can thank the gambling laws that have allowed gaming establishments to thrive. Today if you want to visit casinos to win the jackpot, then you’ll find 37 land-based casinos spread over 15 cities in Italy. Of these, 10 casinos are in Milan and mainly offer services to a huge number of visiting tourists.

Italy has made use of unusual and innovative gambling laws in order to govern the whole casino industry. The first thing you’ll notice is that virtually all gambling products are good to go. This gives Italian gamblers a huge range of options when it comes to gambling products and options. This is not to say that the government doesn’t keep a beady eye on the whole gambling industry in Italy. In fact, all operators must work under very strict regulations and mandates which are in place to set and maintain high standards of quality throughout the industry. All gaming venues will need to obtain a gaming licence from the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies.

Italian Gambling Laws: Sensible Gaming Taxation

What’s interesting about the gambling situation in Italy is the fact that the government mandates that all gambling products must payout at least 90% of their total turnover. To that end, the government only taxes a company’s profits and not its overall turnover. Casinos are subject to a 20% flat tax across all their games. When it comes to such things as sportsbooks, which deal with everything from football to horse betting and skill games, and lotteries, they are all taxed at a very reasonable 3% of their turnover. There is a different provision for poker tournaments in Italy where the buy-ins are kept at just €250 and under.

Online Gambling Laws in Italy

As with most European jurisdictions, you need to be at least 18 years of age in order to participate in any online gambling games. The first regulations for online gambling were introduced in 2006 at the insistence of the European Commission. The problem was that at this time the Italian government had a monopoly over the whole gambling industry. In 2009 these laws were updated and they finally allowed foreign gambling operators to operate in Italy in 2010. In many ways, this brought about the liberalisation of the Italian gambling industry.

As a bonus, it also gave players the possibility to play at a much larger number of online operators. If you go to 22Bet Casino, you’ll find their website already translated into Italian. As an added bonus, there’s a welcome bonus offer of 122% up to €300 for all new players. For us, this is the best casino site to play. Just as in many other Western nations, all online gambling activities are perfectly legal in Italy.

Getting A Gaming Licence Is Not Easy

For the Italian gambler, there is a huge range of games available to play online. The overall playing process is smooth and easy for the punter, though things are not quite so straightforward for the casino operators. The regulatory body, the AAMS has laid down some very harsh rules for those operators who wish to enter the Italian casino space and obtain an internet gambling licence.

To begin with, a gambling company looking for a new gaming licence must already manage gambling products in another European country. Furthermore, they also must prove a turnover of over 1,500,000 euros or more, made over the previous two years. Just to make matters slightly more difficult, the number of licences has a limit to just 120 at any one time.

AAMS: Italy’s Gambling Regulator

The Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato is the Italian name of the regulatory Institute that oversees the whole gambling industry in Italy. Not only does it design the rules, but also enforces them. It’s the sole Institute responsible for issuing licences as well as revoking them. One aspect that Italian gambling laws have that’s similar to those you might find in the UK, is the fact that they want to ensure the protection of players. To that end, casino operators have to provide the option of self-exclusion by law. This can be in the form of deposit limits or time limits, and also the complete exclusion of vulnerable gamblers from all online casino sites. These also allow gamblers to set their own betting time limits.

Italian Gambling Laws: Ensuring Fair Casino Games

The AAMS also insists on the use of verified software. They regularly conduct third party audits across the games and the casinos themselves. Essentially, these are tests to determine whether a casino operator is operating games in a fair manner. As you well know, genuine randomness is an important aspect of online gambling. Without this factor then there could easily be manipulation of the games in favour of the casino. It’s the AAMS’s job to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

Popular Gambling Games and Best Online Casinos

As of the time of writing, there are a number of different types of casino jackpot games that can legally operate under Italian laws. If you happen to be playing online, then there will be literally thousands of eligible titles open to you. So you’ll find that Italian players can play many games including the following:

Slots
Blackjack
Roulette
Video Poker
Baccarat
Live Dealer Games
Casino Hold’em
Craps
Caribbean Stud Poker
Three Card Poker
Pai Gow Poker
Sic Bo

Conclusion: Premium Gambling Destination

If you’re a gambler going on holiday in Europe, then Italy has a perfect setup. Not only will you enjoy the fine food and wines that Italy has to offer. But also the amazing opportunities that are waiting in luxurious Italian casinos. Of course, if you want to spend time playing to win the jackpot online, then you can be certain that all the websites, like our favourite, 22Bet Casino, will be under the control of strict Italian gambling laws. These are in place for your own safety and security.