Agrigento Operation Seizes Unlicensed Betting Hubs, Fines Exceed €20,000

Italian customs and gambling regulator ADM announced on Friday that a coordinated sweep across the province of Agrigento has resulted in the closure of two illicit betting collection centres and administrative penalties totalling over €20,000.

The operation was carried out by ADM’s Sicily 6 office in Porto Empedocle in partnership with local units of the Guardia di Finanza (GdF). Inspectors visited 14 betting shops and gaming halls spread across Agrigento, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera and the Pelagie Islands.

Unauthorised premises uncovered

Two of the venues were identified as operating without a licence. At a location in Porto Empedocle, authorities confiscated two computer terminals that were not linked to the national gaming collection network and lacked the required identification codes. Because the terminals were not connected, they bypassed the systems that record stakes and plays, potentially enabling evasion of the single national gaming levy (PREU), which is calculated on declared turnover from gaming machines.

Following the seizure, the owner of the business tied to the Porto Empedocle premises was referred to the public prosecutor in Agrigento on suspicion of running illegal betting operations. ADM and the Guardia di Finanza stressed that the investigation remains active, with further checks planned, and that protecting consumers—particularly minors and other vulnerable groups—and limiting criminal involvement in the sector are top priorities. Those referred to prosecutors are presumed innocent until legal proceedings conclude.

Industry awaits national reform

The enforcement action comes as Italy’s gambling sector continues to wait for a comprehensive national reform framework. During a Senate hearing last month, EGP-FIPE—which represents operators through the Italian Federation of Public Establishments within Confcommercio—argued that repeated extensions of national gambling concessions have left the legal market unable to advance. The group described the situation as a standstill that has hampered effective network planning and undermined measures aimed at preventing problem gambling.

EGP-FIPE President Emmanuele Cangianelli commented: “The evidence is that where the physical offer is rigidly restricted, the problem is not reduced, but moved.” He added that play shifts either online or to the unregulated market, where oversight is nonexistent, making territorial tools largely ineffective and introducing serious distortions in legality and the sustainability of the authorised network.