In 2020, the online Italian casinos market saw a strong growth due to the lockdown. As of October 2020, a total of €103.6 million has been spent in this market, an increase of 57.5% from the previous year (€65.7 million in 2019).
But how are these revenues distributed among the best online Italian casinos?
The market data updated to 2020 on Italian casinos saw the leader with 11.46%, taking the biggest slice. It was followed by a 9.06%, the third position with 7.93%, fourth with 6.33%, William Hill with 2.64%, and finally the fifth casino with a share of 1.78%.
The online game was regulated in Italy in 2006 with the legislative decree 223/2006. The regulatory system has been appealed several times by operators from other states, but all legal proceedings have confirmed the full validity and applicability of the Italian licensing regime for online gambling.
Any operator licensed anywhere in the EEA, with a minimum gambling turnover of EUR 1.5 million in the last two years and meeting the standard requirements, is in principle eligible to apply for an ADM concession. In general, Italian law gives legal entities the right to apply for a concession for the management of gambling activities, while individuals are not granted the same possibility.
The only way to make such an application is to participate in the public procedures that are announced by the Regulatory Authority. The number of concessions that can be granted for online casinos in Italy is decided by the Government, while the duration of the concessions is established from time to time in the contract concluded between the State and the concession holder.
Currently, the key requirements for Italian casinos are the following:
1. The operator must alternatively have a gambling license issued by any European State (for at least one of the games authorized in Italy) or an adequate technical capacity, i.e. sufficient infrastructure to offer at least one of the games authorized in Italy, and a bank or insurance guarantee of €1,500,000.
2. Minimum share capital of €1,500,000, proven by financial statements for the last two years of activity related to the gambling sector.
3. It is not expressly required that the servers be located in Italy, but they must be located within the territory of a European State.
“Decreto Dignità” and how it affects companies’ promotion
The Decree-Law No. 87 of 2018, also known as the “Decreto Dignità”, introduced an absolute ban on the advertising of games and bets including sponsorships and forms of indirect advertising. In particular, Article 9 concerns the prohibition of any form of advertising, including indirect advertising, relating to games or bets with money winnings, regardless of the medium used, including sports, cultural or artistic events.
Excluded from the prohibition are national lotteries with deferred draws, lotteries and tombolas organised at local level for charity and must include the logos of the Customs and Monopolies Agency. Violations of the regulations are subject to a sanction of 20% of the value of the sponsorship or advertising, with a minimum amount of €50,000 per violation.
The Authority for Communications Guarantees (AGCOM) is the body responsible for imposing sanctions, which go into the Fund for countering pathological gambling. Until 2018, gambling advertising was allowed within certain limits. In particular, the 2016 Stability Law (Legge di Stabilità) had introduced a series of prohibitions with reference to gambling advertising, implementing the principles contained in Recommendation no. 478/2014 of the European Commission.
It was forbidden to advertise excessive gambling, to deny the risks associated with gambling, to advertise gambling as a means of solving financial problems, target or refer to minors, to make unfounded statements about the chances of winning.
It was also prohibited to advertise games with cash winnings on national and local radio and television broadcasts from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, except specialized media, identified by decree of the Minister for the Economy in agreement with the Minister for Economic Development, and national lotteries.
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The third Ethical Gambling Forum on the lovely Sunborn in Gibraltar.
“Hear from an excellent array of speakers about Safer Gambling & ESG. Our range of experts includes C-Level Executives, Safer Gambling teams, HR officers and a range of experts from many fields across the many subject areas. Get practical advice, case studies and the chance to share your views on the big questions!” This was the campaign with which Gibraltar promoted the event.
Gibraltar's Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, Nigel Feetham, gave the opening speech at the Ethical Gambling Forum 2024, highlighting the importance of ethical practices within the gaming sector. In his speech, Feetham emphasized the need for responsible behavior by the regulated sectors (both financial services and gaming) in Gibraltar, which is crucial to maintaining the Rock's reputation and fostering economic growth.
The highlights of his speech were as follows:
It is a very important sector for Gibraltar and is highly valued.
The importance of gaming companies contributing financially to Gibraltar, acting responsibly and maintaining the good reputation of the jurisdiction.
Government support for regulated businesses to expand into international markets (not just the UK) to strengthen economic resilience.
The responsibility of authorized operators to comply with various laws and regulations, including tax and labor regulations.
The emphasis on public benefits derived from taxes [that levy the sector], such as financing education, health, and social services.
A call for a joined-up approach to regulation, focusing on economic contribution, compliance mindset and social commitment.
The importance of trust between the government and the business community, with a strong emphasis on integrity and compliance with ethical issues.
The Minister's support for responsible gaming initiatives, including the University of Gibraltar's Center of Excellence for Responsible Gaming.
In a press release on Friday, the Netherlands Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) revealed that it arrested a 26-year-old male on April 29 on suspicion of money laundering, embezzlement, and fraud.
The authorities searched the Dutch national’s residence, seizing assets worth more than €11.4m ($12m), such as a luxury car, real estate, and cryptocurrency. It said that further arrests could be in the cards.
Raising suspicions
The FIOD started looking into ZKasino on April 25 after receiving complaints from people who invested in the blockchain casino project. Investigators worked closely with cryptocurrency exchange Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance and Investigations team to freeze funds.
The FIOD intends to return the money to the victims if they cooperate with the investigation. A Telegram group named “ZKasino Legal Task Force” was set up by people impacted by the scam; the FIOD posted in the channel when the arrest was made.
Investors began to question the legitimacy of ZKasino shortly after the network went live on April 20. More than 10,000 investors had invested 10,515 ETH ($33m) on the promise of earning rewards for their locked-up funds.
The platform’s owners swapped the ETH with its $ZKAS tokens, which they put into the Lido staking protocol. The website also no longer showed a statement saying investors would be guaranteed to receive their returns in ETH. Numerous cryptocurrency exchanges quickly moved to cancel their plans to list the $ZKAS token over these suspicious actions.
Parliament restricted gambling advertising on Tuesday. The texts were adopted unanimously at second reading with 198 votes in favour.
Advertising of gambling is prohibited in radio and television programmes, except for the broadcasting of the draws of the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator and their announcement, in printed works and electronic media, including websites, on state-owned and municipal property and on sites licensed under this law.
It is allowed to advertise gambling on outdoor constructed billboard-type facilities located no less than 300 meters from educational institutions – schools, universities, kindergartens, community centers, playgrounds, etc.
Advertising of gambling is allowed on equipment, sports facilities, sports halls, stadiums and swimming pools, materials or products of sports federations, clubs, associations, and organizations, except on sports equipment, materials or products intended for use by minors.
Gambling with slot machines and in a gaming, casino will only be allowed in settlements with more than 10,000 inhabitants, giving operators a three-year period to bring their operations in line with the adopted changes.
The Municipality of Salerno, through a union ordinance, has established that for public gaming halls and betting halls (including bowling and bingo halls) with gaming as their exclusive or main activity, and in which access to minors is prohibited, the following timetable must be observed: from 10am to 2am.
For businesses - equipped with slot machines - with exclusive or prevalent activities other than gaming (bars, tobacconists, etc.), and in which access to minors is not prohibited, the machines may remain switched on during the following hours: from 9 am to 12.30 pm, and from 14.30 pm to 23 pm.
The ordinance does not apply to businesses that have installed exclusively gaming machines without cash prizes and in any case to machines without cash prizes installed outdoors inside public establishments.
The UK government has published its response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons observing sessions and consultations related to the Gambling Review.
Chaired by Dame Caroline Dinenage (MP), in December, the Committee published its ‘second report of sessions 2023-to-2024’ related to implementing changes and proposals outlined by the Gambling Review’s White Paper.
The remit saw the Committee underline the 17 overarching policy proposals of the White Paper to include “new protections for online gambling consumers; the creation of a statutory gambling levy to raise money for problem gambling research, prevention and treatment; the relaxation of certain restrictions of land-based gambling premises, as well as new powers for local authorities which licence them; and the creation of a non-statutory gambling ombudsman to adjudicate disputes between gambling companies and the customers relating to social responsibility failings.”
Further proposals include strengthening the Gambling Commission with new powers to tackle unlicensed online gambling, and a review of how the Commission’s fees are set and applied.
Observing the White Paper’s proceedings, the Committee detailed recommendations that “the government must set out a detailed timetable for the delivery of the White Paper’s proposals, including when relevant primary legislation will be introduced to Parliament.”
However, the government expressed its commitment to proceeding with the consultations on the White Paper swiftly and has highlighted the ongoing work to implement the proposed measures.
Work to date includes the three public consultations on key proposals from the White Paper related to new land-based gambling measures ,the design of the Statutory Levy for safer gambling, and new stake limits for online slots.
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