Italian Regulators Shut Down Illegal Betting Hubs, Issue €20K+ in Fines

Italian customs and gambling regulator ADM, working alongside the Guardia di Finanza (GdF), has closed two unlicensed betting collection points in the province of Agrigento. Administrative penalties totalling over €20,000 have been imposed following inspections at 14 gambling venues across multiple municipalities, including Agrigento, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera, and the Pelagie Islands.

Unauthorised Terminals Seized

During the operation, officers in Porto Empedocle discovered two computer terminals that were not linked to the national gaming collection network and lacked mandatory identification codes. By operating outside the system, these devices sidestepped the counters that are required to record stakes and play, enabling potential evasion of the single national gaming levy (PREU). The equipment was confiscated and the business owner has been referred to the public prosecutor in Agrigento on suspicion of running illegal betting operations.

New Football Betting Levy Proposed

Separately, the Italian parliament is considering a bill introduced in the Senate earlier this month that would introduce a 2% levy on all domestic football bets. The proposed tax would apply to wagers placed both in physical betting shops and online on matches organised by the Italian Football Federation and its affiliated leagues. Funds would be earmarked to support Italy’s football system.

Regulatory Gridlock Undermines Legal Market

The enforcement action comes at a time when the country’s gambling framework faces a legislative impasse. At a Senate hearing last month, EGP-FIPE (part of the Italian Federation of Public Establishments within Confcommercio) argued that repeated extensions of national gambling concessions had frozen the legal market’s development. According to the association, the absence of a cohesive reform package has impeded network planning and weakened problem-gambling safeguards.

EGP-FIPE president Emmanuele Cangianelli highlighted the risks of restricting physical supply: “Play heads online or to the underground market, where control is nil.” He contended that rigid limits on land-based offerings do not reduce the problem but merely shift it, creating distortions in legality and sustainability.

Ongoing Enforcement

ADM and the Guardia di Finanza have stated that their investigation remains active, with further checks planned to protect consumers, particularly minors and vulnerable groups, and to prevent criminal infiltration in the gambling sector. Authorities have reiterated that the reported individuals are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court.