The scale of the gambling industry

Italy is one of the largest gambling markets in Europe. Under the supervision of ADM (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli), both the ground and online segments operate here. Historically, the benchmark "about €19 billion GGR per year" often sounds in public speech, but recent reports in recent periods show that the market has already crossed this threshold.

1) How much is in the money: GGR and "recolta"

GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) - gross gaming income of operators (bets minus winnings).

Raccolta/contributions ("handle") - the total volume of players' bets, significantly larger than GGR and often appears in press releases.

According to the latest consolidated industry estimates, Italy is No. 1 for GGR in Europe in 2023: about €21.0 billion in total GGR (online + offline).

For 2024, industry reports indicate an increase to ~ €21.6 billion GGR (of which online ~ €5 billion; offline ~ €16.5 billion). This confirms that the market is steadily exceeding the previous "threshold of €19 billion."

2) How the market is divided: online vs offline

Online: sustained double-digit growth; a number of sources have ~ €4.5-5.0 billion GGR (2023-2024), while online casinos are the largest vertical, poker and betting add dynamics.

Offline: a stable "core" of the market - casinos/halls/VLT/bets, about €16-17 billion GGR at the end of 2024.

3) Who regulates and where the data comes from

Supervision is carried out by ADM: licensing, technical standards, reporting, blocking of unlicensed sites.

Official codes are published in Libro Blu (annual reports), which are then aggregated by industry associations/analysts.

Pan-European surveys (EGBA, etc.) help to compare Italy with its neighbors and confirm the order of quantities.

4) What pulls the market up

Shift online: Rising share of iGaming, especially casinos and live gaming, thanks to mobile UX and a broad showcase of content.

Omnichannel ecosystems of large brands (Lottomatica, Sisal, Snai, Eurobet) and international. it-projects (PokerStars. it, Bet365. it).

Payment maturity: cards with 3-D Secure 2, PayPal/Skrill, PostePay; rapid findings under AML/KYC control.

Strict ADM compliance: predictability for investment and consumer protection.

5) Risks and constraints

Advertising restrictions (Decreto Dignità) - marketing is shifted to CRM/product, which limits "fast" expansion.

GGR tax burden (by vertical) and regulated fees - pressure on operators' margins.

Enforcement against unlicensed sites - constant blocking and control of payment channels.

6) What is considered a "realistic guideline" for 2025

The nearest horizon (according to industry digests) is stable GGR> €21 billion with an online share of about €5 billion and smooth offline growth. This means that "€19 billion/year" is appropriate to use as the lower scale bar, while the current range is €21-22 billion.

Italy is Europe's largest gambling market by GGR. The historical benchmark ~ €19 billion today has actually outgrown: €21.0 billion in 2023 and about €21.6 billion in 2024 confirm the vertical trend. Driver - online segment and omnichannel networks, foundation - mature offline. For analytics and media communications, it is more correct to say: "the Italian market is over €20 billion GGR per year," with a reservation on the methodology and a fresh year of reporting.