Authorities in Agrigento have shut down two illegal betting collection centres and imposed fines exceeding €20,000 ($22,796) in a recent operation. This crackdown was announced on Friday, following a coordinated effort between the Italian customs and gambling regulator (ADM) and the Guardia di Finanza (GdF).
Inspectors from ADM's Sicily 6 office in Porto Empedocle, along with provincial units of the GdF, conducted inspections at 14 betting shops and gaming venues across various towns, including Agrigento, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera, and the Pelagie Islands.
During the operation, authorities discovered two locations operating without proper licenses as betting collection centres. In one of the venues in Porto Empedocle, officers seized two computer terminals that were not connected to the national gaming collection network and lacked the required identification codes.
These disconnected terminals allowed the avoidance of mandatory counters that record stakes and plays, which could lead to evasion of the single national gaming levy (PREU) associated with the recorded turnover on gaming devices. The seizure of the terminals resulted in criminal referrals for the business owner linked to the Porto Empedocle premises, who has been reported to the public prosecutor in Agrigento on suspicions of illegal betting activities.
In addition to enforcing the PREU on gaming devices, a new bill proposed by the Italian parliament earlier this month aims to impose a 2% levy on all domestic football bets, creating a dedicated funding stream for Italy’s football system. This levy would apply to all bets placed within Italy, both in physical shops and online, covering matches organized by the Italian Football Federation and its affiliated leagues. The proposed levy amounts to 2% of the stake per bet.
This crackdown occurs against a backdrop of regulatory challenges within Italy’s gambling sector. At a Senate hearing last month, EGP-FIPE, which represents operators within the Italian Federation of Public Establishments under Confcommercio, noted that the growth of the legal gambling market has stalled due to ongoing extensions of national gambling concessions. The organization stated that the lack of a cohesive national reform framework has left the market “frozen,” hindering effective planning and protective measures for problem gambling.
EGP-FIPE president Emmanuele Cangianelli highlighted that restrictive measures on the land-based market do not reduce gambling problems but merely push them online or into the underground market, where oversight is nonexistent. This complicates regulatory objectives and distorts the legality and sustainability of the authorized network.
The ADM and Guardia di Finanza have reiterated that their investigation is ongoing, and they will continue enforcement efforts aimed at protecting consumers—especially minors and other vulnerable groups—while combating criminal infiltration in the gaming industry. Authorities have also emphasized the presumption of innocence for those reported until proven guilty through legal proceedings.
