Italian authorities shut down illegal betting centres, imposing fines over €20,000

In a coordinated crackdown on illegal gambling activities, authorities in Agrigento have shut down two clandestine betting collection centres and levied administrative fines exceeding €20,000 ($22,796). 

The operation, announced on Friday, was conducted by the Italian customs and gambling regulator (ADM) in collaboration with the Guardia di Finanza (GdF).

Inspectors from ADM’s Sicily 6 office in Porto Empedocle and provincial units of the Guardia di Finanza carried out checks at 14 betting shops and gaming halls across several towns. These included Agrigento, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera and the Pelagie Islands.

Discovery of unauthorised betting points

The sweep uncovered two premises operating as unlicensed betting collection centres. At one location in Porto Empedocle, officers seized two computer terminals that were not connected to the national gaming collection network. They also lacked required identification codes.

This disconnection allowed the terminals to bypass the counters that are mandated to record stakes and plays. This potentially enabled the evasion of the single national gaming levy (PREU) linked to recorded turnover on gaming devices.

The seizure of these devices prompted criminal referrals. The business owner linked to the Empedocle premises has been reported to the public prosecutor in Agrigento on suspicion of illegal betting operations.

As well as the PREU on gaming devices, the Italian parliament’s new bill, introduced in the Senate earlier this month, proposed imposing a 2% levy on all domestic football bets. This would establish a dedicated funding stream for Italy’s football system. 

The levy will apply to all domestic football bets placed within Italy, both in physical betting shops and online. It will apply to matches organised by the Italian Football Federation and its affiliated professional and amateur leagues. It will stand at 2% of the stake per bet.  

Regulatory stalemate

The crackdown comes amid a regulatory stalemate at the heart of Italy’s gambling market. 

At a Senate hearing last month, EGP-FIPE, which represents operators as part of the Italian Federation of Public Establishments within Confcommercio, flagged that the legal gambling market’s development had been stalled by repeated extensions of national gambling concessions. 

It argued the absence of a cohesive national reform framework had left the sector “frozen”. This stasis served to impede effective network planning and weakened protective measures aimed at problem gambling.

A particular emphasis was put on the land-based market. EGP-FIPE president Emmanuele Cangianelli said: “The evidence is that where the physical offer is rigidly restricted the problem is not reduced, but moved. Play heads online or to the underground market, where control is nil. This makes territorial instruments little effective with respect to the declared objective and introduces heavy distortions in terms of legality and the sustainability of the authorised network.” 

Enforcement outcomes 

The ADM and Guardia di Finanza emphasised that the investigation is ongoing and enforcement efforts would continue, targeting the protection of consumers, particularly minors and other vulnerable groups, and curbing criminal infiltration within the gaming sector.

Authorities reiterated the presumption of innocence for reported individuals until proven guilty through judicial processes.