Betting is booming in Italy, now Europe's biggest gambling market. That's lining state coffers, but putting the government at odds with those calling for curbs, including support groups and the Catholic Church.

Rome

Italy has emerged as the largest gambling market in Europe, fueled by the proliferation of online and smartphone betting. Gambling spending in the country has surged over the past two decades, with gross gaming revenues reaching $25 billion in 2024, surpassing other major European economies.

The rapid growth has sparked concerns about addiction, especially in poorer and mafia-influenced regions, and has led to calls for tighter regulation. While the government benefits from increased tax revenues, campaigners and religious groups have criticized the state's approach, highlighting tensions between economic interests and public health.

Betting on misery: The dark side of Italy's gambling passion

Italy has become Europe's largest gambling market, with the spread of online and smartphone betting making it ever easier to place wages. Italians' spending on gambling has surged in the last 20 years, with year-on-year increases of more than 15 percent following the pandemic. In the northern city of Pisa, Giovanni, who didn't give his real name, managed to break his addiction to slot machines about six months ago, no thanks to the government, he says. The feeling of anger is there, because it's as if the Italian state is encouraging citizens to gamble. There's advertising everywhere, there are TV ads where they say, do you like easy wins? It's like they want to create a problem that they then don't know how to handle. Gross gaming revenues, that's the difference between the amount wagered and the amount won, hit $25 billion in 2024, outpacing Britain, France and Germany. And there are signs the mafia is involved. A report on gambling by the CGIL trade union showed betting was especially widespread in poorer and mafia-ridden southern regions. Booming betting habits have helped to line state coffers. That's put Conservative Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, a self-declared defender of family values, at odds with the Catholic Church and others who have called for tighter regulation. Emiliano Contini is a campaigner from the anti-addiction cooperative Il Camino. In the case of other addictions, we're used to playing on the same side as the state. On this issue, we often do not understand why we are on opposite sides. We do understand it if we look at the economic interest behind it. Industry representatives say the sector is committed to promoting responsible gambling, and the government agency that oversees it believes excessive curbs only push people towards illegal betting.

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