Italy Shuts Illegal Betting Centres As UK Targets Gambling Dens

Italian authorities have closed two illegal betting centres and imposed more than €20,000 (£17,300) in fines. This follows a coordinated enforcement operation in Sicily.

The Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) worked alongside the Guardia di Finanza to inspect 14 betting shops and gaming halls across the province of Agrigento.

Checks took place in Agrigento, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera and the Pelagie Islands.

Unregistered Betting Terminals Seized

Inspectors discovered two premises operating as unauthorised betting collection points.

At one business in Porto Empedocle, officers seized two computer terminals that were not connected to Italy’s national gaming collection network. They also did not carry the required identification codes.

Because the terminals were disconnected from the regulated system, stakes and plays could potentially be accepted without being recorded by the mandatory counters.

This may have allowed the business to evade Italy’s single national gaming levy, known as PREU. This is calculated using the turnover recorded by gaming machines.

The discovery resulted in a criminal referral. The owner of the Porto Empedocle business was reported to the public prosecutor in Agrigento on suspicion of running an illegal betting operation.

Authorities stressed that the individual remains presumed innocent unless found guilty through the judicial process.

“The operation forms part of wider efforts to protect consumers and prevent criminal infiltration into Italy’s regulated gambling sector.”

Italian Gambling Market Remains ‘Frozen’

The enforcement action comes amid continuing debate over the future of Italy’s regulated gambling market.

At a Senate hearing in June, trade body EGP-FIPE warned that repeated extensions to national gambling concessions and the absence of a coordinated reform framework had left the sector “frozen”.

The group argued that rigid restrictions on licensed land-based gambling do not necessarily reduce demand. Instead, customers may move online or towards illegal operators, a problem that is happening throughout Europe, including the UK. Illegal operators don’t offer consumer protections and regulatory oversight is absent.

EGP-FIPE president Emmanuele Cangianelli said restrictions could weaken the authorised network. They may also create opportunities for the underground market.

Italy is also considering a new 2% levy on stakes placed on domestic football matches. The proposed charge would cover both retail and online bets involving competitions organised by the Italian Football Federation and its affiliated leagues.

Revenue from the levy would be used to support the country’s professional and amateur football system.

UK Authorities Target Illegal Gambling Dens

The operation follows a similar crackdown on unlicensed land-based gambling in the UK.

On 21 July, two suspected illegal gambling venues in Doncaster were raided as part of a joint operation involving the Gambling Commission, South Yorkshire Police, Immigration Enforcement and City of Doncaster Council.

Eight people were arrested during the Doncaster gambling den raids. One person was suspected of offences under the Gambling Act 2005. Officers also seized almost £9,000 and discovered poker tables, slot machines and account books inside the premises.

Two people had previously been arrested during a separate raid on a suspected illegal gambling den in Manchester in May.

The cases show the emphasis regulators across Europe are placing on coordinated enforcement. Unlicensed venues can avoid gambling duties and operate without the