The impact of the Abruzzo Decree, basically paves the way for playing online gambling cash games in Italy. This includes all kinds of casino games, plus other gambling activities; sports betting, betting exchanges, poker, video lotteries, bingo, virtual horse racing and football games. Fixed odds betting terminals are also allowed now in authorized sites such as land and online betting shops.
In the meantime the experts who understand this business have been busy compiling due diligence to see just what kind of financial impact, newly licensed operators in the country are going to be able to enjoy. It all looks pretty good from where we are standing, with an estimated €15 Billion in turnover expected annually.
It is hardly surprising that UK and European online gambling operators have got their two little ducks in a row, have been approved to trade legally by the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS), and have been launching their sites as fast as they can. Online gambling operator William Hill have got their product up and running already, with a casino is on the Playtech software platform. Playtech has a number of new Italian online gambling licensees, and the iPoker network is proving to be a popular product for harnessing market-share. The Dragonfish B2B offering has also launched into Italy – they are powering the brand new 888.it site, as well as some new Bwin.party Italian joint venture products, with more new products coming quite soon. William Hill has apparently been received well, and experts have predicted it will make quite a splash.
Following new research surfacing – a Research and Markets publication has found that slot machines are the #1 choice for consumers in this country. Also, despite the fact that regulations were not completely conducive for online gambling operations, the growth in this marketplace has been an average of 17.8%. More increases are being forecast for 2011 – 2013, and sports betting revenues have fallen. Although ‘Serie A’ soccer games playing days, and therefore sports betting, have been reduced from five to three, so this is hardly surprising!
Approximately 90% of the sports bets taken in this football-mad nation come from soccer fans. With the reduction of Serie A playing days, revenue has fallen by 20.8% or the equivalent of €100 million annually. Bookies are still however taking, €350.4 million worth of sports bets annually.
There is no doubt that there is a definite market for online gambling in Italy, and these numbers, plus the fact that there are so many prominent up-takes on licenses are proving this to be so. Operating within the confines of a regulated market makes it much safer for online gambling fans to play, and of course for the Government to rake in their share of the massive turnover potential. The Italian online bingo market is also buzzing, with many of these sites expected to be seen as a new industry matures. Most website owners appear to be concentrating on casinos, poker and sports betting sites first, although playing bingo is also hugely popular in live clubs, throughout all of Italy.