Italian online gambling market tops €1bn for 2016
New figures from AAMS show 25% growth in 2016, but the market may have slowed so far in 2017
More than €1bn was spent on the Italian online gambling market in 2016, according to the latest statistics released by the country’s gaming authority.
Figures from Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (AAMS) show the market was up 25% year-on-year to €1.03bn, with casino up 35% to €441m and sports betting up 33% to €350m.
Poker slipped 5% to €138m.
Giulio Corragio, gaming lawyer for DLA Piper, said the main driver of the growth was the reduction of unlicensed betting, in part thanks to the authorisation of internet cafes that connect to foreign-licensed gaming sites, otherwise known as CTDs.
The same change recently propelled SKS365 to the top of the market.
Recent figures from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming projected slower growth for 2017, with FY revenues of €1.15bn, in part thanks to very weak sports margins in Q1.
The analyst firm said it expected margins to fall from historical levels of up to 10% as new international operators bring tighter margins and create a “new normal”.