The Black Book on Gambling warns that player losses have risen to €21.88bn as online gambling now accounts for more than €100bn in annual volume.
 

Key Points

Italy’s gambling volume rose 5% in 2025, reaching 7.3% of national GDP

Online gambling exceeded €100bn for the first time, with 4.8 million active players 

CGIL, Federconsumatori and ISSCON are calling for tighter advertising, data and tax measures
 

Italy’s gambling market reached a record €165.34bn ($192.5bn) in total volume in 2025, according to the fourth edition of the Black Book on Gambling, produced by CGIL, Federconsumatori and the ISSCON Foundation. 

The report, titled The Losing State, said total gambling volume rose 5% year-on-year and represented 7.3% of national GDP. It compared the figure with Italy’s €138.6bn National Health Fund allocation and said gambling volume was twice the level of public spending on education.

Player losses reached €21.88bn, equal to around 2% of total income across Italy, rising to 4% among lower-income groups. The report estimated that each adult spent an average of €3,284 on gambling during the year.

Online gambling was the main driver of growth. The channel passed €100bn in annual volume for the first time, reaching €100.88bn, up 9.5% from 2024 and 221% from 2018. Active online players were estimated at 4.8 million.

The findings add to pressure on Italy’s gambling policy framework at a time when the Government is pursuing wider reform of the sector. Italy has already advanced online concession changes and is preparing a separate reorganisation of land-based gambling, where regional and municipal rules have created a fragmented system for operating hours, venue locations and licences. 

The Black Book also highlighted regional disparities. Isernia led the ranking of provincial capitals with €6,307 per capita, while Patti in Sicily recorded €7,715 per capita for online gambling alone. 

The report said several municipalities with high online gambling intensity had previously seen city councils dissolved over mafia infiltration concerns. It called for greater transparency on financial flows, including full municipal-level data for land-based gambling. 

CGIL, Federconsumatori and ISSCON are seeking the reinstatement of a full advertising ban, a social balance sheet for gambling-related costs, an extra-profits tax on operators and policies aimed at reducing overall gambling volumes.

The findings follow Global Gaming Insider’s report on Italy’s planned land-based gambling reorganisation, which aims to create a unified national framework for AWPs, VLTs, betting shops and bingo halls while addressing regional disputes over gambling tax revenue. 

 

 

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