Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) has reported a drop in tax revenues from Italian gambling operations in 2024.
In its latest Statistical Bulletin, ADM stated that it collected €8.05 billion in gambling taxes as of 30 September 2024, marking a 6% decline from the €8.2 billion collected during the same period in 2023. For the entirety of 2023, ADM gathered €11.62 billion in gambling taxes. If the trend continues, 2024 will be the first year ADM sees a drop in tax revenues, excluding the pandemic-hit year of 2020.
The bulletin detailed a sharp decline in Q3 2024. Gambling tax revenues fell by 16% to €2.22 billion, compared to €3.3 billion in Q3 2023. ADM linked this drop to a 26% year-on-year decrease in net gambling expenditure, which declined from €5.9 billion in Q3 2023 to €4.35 billion in Q3 2024.
While gambling revenues fell, the tobacco sector performed strongly, generating €4.18 billion in Q3 2024—an increase of 5.77% compared to the previous year.
In the gambling sector, gaming machines remained the largest revenue source, contributing €910 million (41%) from net expenditure of €1.26 billion. Lotteries and number games followed, adding €870 million (39.08%), while betting brought in €180 million (8.17%), and other games accounted for €260 million (11.64%).
ADM introduced a new licensing scheme for online gambling concessions on 18 November 2024. This overhaul is the most significant change to Italian online gambling regulation since its launch in 2011. The new licences, which last nine years, cost €7 million each and include an annual fee of 3% on gross gaming revenue (GGR), excluding taxes and winnings.
ADM extended existing licences by one year, allowing them to remain valid until 31 December 2024, as per Budget 2024 provisions. The updated rules limit operators to offering “one app per gambling product type and one website.” ADM also implemented strict penalties for operators using skin websites to promote branded products.
ADM expects around 50 operators to apply for new licences, which could generate €350 million in concession fees and €100 million annually in fixed licence fees.
