Italian authorities in Agrigento have taken decisive action against illegal gambling, shutting down two unauthorized betting collection centers and imposing fines exceeding €20,000 (approximately $22,796). This operation was reported on Friday and was carried out by the Italian customs and gambling regulator (ADM) in conjunction with the Guardia di Finanza (GdF).
Inspectors from ADM’s Sicily 6 office in Porto Empedocle, along with provincial units of the Guardia di Finanza, conducted inspections at 14 betting shops and gaming halls in towns such as Agrigento, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera, and the Pelagie Islands.
During the operation, officials uncovered two facilities functioning as unregistered betting collection centers. In Porto Empedocle, authorities confiscated two computer terminals that were not linked to the national gaming collection network and lacked the required identification codes. This disconnection allowed the terminals to evade the mandatory counters that record stakes and gaming activity, which could potentially facilitate avoidance of the single national gaming levy (PREU) applied to recorded turnover from gaming devices.
The confiscation of these devices led to criminal referrals, and the owner of the Porto Empedocle location has been reported to the public prosecutor in Agrigento on suspicions of illegal betting activities.
In addition to the PREU, new legislation introduced in the Senate earlier this month proposes a 2% tax on all domestic football bets. This initiative aims to create a dedicated funding source for Italy’s football system and will apply to bets placed both in physical locations and online, covering matches organized by the Italian Football Federation as well as its affiliated leagues.
This enforcement action takes place during a period of regulatory stagnation affecting Italy’s gambling market. During a Senate hearing last month, EGP-FIPE, which represents operators under the Italian Federation of Public Establishments within Confcommercio, highlighted that the growth of the legal gambling market is hindered by ongoing extensions of national gambling concessions.
EGP-FIPE argued that the lack of a comprehensive national reform framework has resulted in a “frozen” sector, impeding effective network planning and diminishing protective measures aimed at addressing problem gambling. Emmanuele Cangianelli, president of EGP-FIPE, remarked that restrictive measures in the land-based market do not reduce gambling problems but merely push them online or into the underground sector, where regulation is nonexistent. He emphasized that this trend causes significant distortions concerning legality and the sustainability of the authorized gambling network.
The ADM and Guardia di Finanza have stated their investigation will continue, prioritizing consumer protection, especially for minors and vulnerable populations, while also aiming to minimize criminal activity within the gaming industry. They reaffirmed the presumption of innocence for those reported until proven guilty through legal proceedings.
