In 2024, Italy’s gaming industry received a record €157.4 billion in legal stakes, behind which the brightest figure is a change in player behaviour, a movement of channels, and deep-seated changes in the industry’s search for a balance between growth and responsibility. The actual expenditures of players amount to 21.5 billion euros, confirming that the market is both dynamic and in transition.
According to the latest report of the Venice Mestré Association for Economic Research (CGIA), released in Rome in October, online lottery has seen an explosive growth. Between 2019 and 2024, its turnover increased by 153 per cent and reached 92 billion euros in 2024. Players win back Euro87 billion and spend Euro5 billion (including taxes and industry profits). Masimiliano Pucci, President of the Italian Association of Long-Range Gamblers, noted that there was an increasing tendency among players to make remote investments, a shift that required careful change to protect legitimate networks and market stability. For operators, digitization has a scale effect; for regulators, it means the urgency of regulatory upgrading. In 2019-2024, three main groups contributed 95 per cent of the online increase: casino games (53 per cent) card games (28 per cent) and sports games (14 per cent) rebounded rapidly after a slowdown in 2022: 13 per cent in 2023 and 16 per cent in 2024. Technology upgrades, interactivity optimization and protection enhancements allow players to remain linearly sticky once the physical site is reopened.
Legislative Decree No. 41/2024, which was implemented in 2024, recreated the system of monitoring long-distance gambling. The Customs and Monopolies Authority issued 52 licence plates to 46 operators, well above expectations and generating Euro364 million. The new regulation requires “one operator’s domain name” and aims to reduce market fragmentation and enhance regulatory effectiveness. By 2026, new rules for online filling terminals will enhance transparency and traceability of transactions, with the aim of creating a more regulated and manageable digital market. In the face of digital flooding, the real lottery continues to shrink. In 2019-2024, retail terminal income dropped by nearly Euro14 billion by 30 per cent. The amount of Euro32.6 billion traded in 2024 has not returned to pre-disease levels. The accelerated contraction of the physical network: a reduction of 16,000 terminals and 8,400 operating sites throughout Italy. Bars, tobacco shops, restaurants and small businesses are the hardest hit, while large play halls survive through integration. Over the past five years, 10,000 jobs have been lost in the sector. Despite a shrinking physical channel, the gaming industry remains an important source of revenue for Italy: a single lottery tax in 2024 contributed €5.2 billion, adding other taxes and contributions to social security and a total financial contribution of about €6 billion. Although below historical peaks, it remains one of the pillars of State finances.
The report highlighted the urgent need for Italy to establish a long-term balance between the rapidly growing digital market and the shrinking physical network. Operators need to focus on transparent operational and liability practices, while policymakers need to balance job security, tax stability and legal market protection. The President of the Association, Masimiliano Pucci, concluded by saying: “A strong legal lottery industry sustains employment, tax stability and citizen protection. The data confirm his judgment. As Italy moves towards a new stage in its industry, a fundamental question remains to be answered: can policymakers and operators build a system that combines innovation and inclusion, while embracing the digital future without leaving any group behind? This is not only a business proposition, but also a wake-up call for the livelihoods of millions of workers.
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