Practical Gambling Guide for Italy (Recommended to Newbie Gamblers)

In Italy, fans of online gambling can enjoy the benefits of a fully regulated market. The fact that the country licenses and regulates virtual gambling lobbies make it so much easier for newbie players to join in and worry less about rogue websites and lots of traps that unregulated online gambling markets offer.

What are those traps of an unregulated market? Well, unlicensed websites that can change the bonus T&C in the middle of the promotion, delay or withhold payouts, provide ripped software that messes with the RNG and does not respect the rights and interests of players, as well as rude and unresponsive support — these are just a few out of many caveats of the grey sector of the industry.

Luckily, Italy is one of those European countries that joined the massive continental shift from banning offline and online gambling to accepting the fact that at all times and across all countries there will be fans of wagering money, and they are much more protected doing it in a regulated environment.

So, in January of 2011, the state voted for the ADM Decree that legalized and regulated online gambling, including slot machines, live casino games, Keno, Bingo, and Sports Betting, among other activities. The preparation for this milestone started back in 2006 when Italy gave the green light to the AAMS, also known as the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stado. This is the state authority that handles all of the responsibilities of Italian online gambling licensing, market management, and enforcement.

Under the decree, every business interested in operating virtual gaming lobbies needs to apply for revision by AAMS, pay a fee, provide a long list of documents, and be able to meet the requirements of the authority after receiving a license. Any licensed online operator that is found guilty of violating the rights of the player, can lose its license. This is why gambling in a lobby that complies with a state permit is always beneficial for the player.

Our portal has a detailed list of Italy-friendly regulated online platforms. Along with this list, we dive into all the details of available games and promotions and share specific recommendations regarding popular sites. At the same time, we understand that any newbie Italian player needs much more than a list of casinos, games, and promotions. So, we are rolling out this detailed roadmap to getting started with games of chance in online lobbies. Among others, we will be answering some of the most popular questions:

Are online casino promotions and bonuses for Italian players free of charge or do they come with obligations?
Can Italian gamblers play in cryptocurrencies at regulated sites?
What are live and non-live games available to Italians?
How to distinguish a regulated platform from a website that has no licenses?

Join us and fill in the blanks on how gambling sites, bonuses, and games work, what to watch out for, great deals to consider, and so much more. For your convenience, we have broken the publication down into convenient sections on licensing and legality, banking and payments, promotions and bonuses, games and software. Each of these sections will contain the most common questions on virtual games of chance asked by newbie Italian players, as well as detailed answers to those questions.

Our Take on Online Gambling in Italy

We are pleased to inform our Italian readers that gambling in their country is fully regulated and the market is saturated with certified and reliable online operators. These platforms are ready to offer games, live casino content, and Sportsbook, among other gambling services.

In terms of entertainment, players will be able to enjoy games from Italy-based content suppliers, as well as from international providers that applied for Italian certificates and successfully qualified. This list of studios includes slots experts as well as live casino providers.

Payments-wise, gamblers from Italy will be able to enjoy banking in EUR in Italy-licensed websites, as well as gambling in crypto, but only at internationally certified platforms that accept Italians. Plus, the community will be able to use cards and e-wallets on almost all platforms, and sometimes will also have access to Italy-specific banking solutions like Postepay/Calibra.

We recommend players from Italy look specifically for locally licensed providers because this guarantees safety or a chance to expect a timely response to issues. Plus, promoitons are easier to claim and wager at certified platforms.

Our database is home to plenty of Italy-certified platforms and to even more locations that comply with the rules and regulations of jurisdictions like Curacao and Cyprus and at the same time accept Italy. To find the best online operator, simply adjust the search filters to preferred currency, payment methods, games, promotions, and other parameters, and enjoy the action.

Licensing and Legality of Italian Online Gambling

Businesses have to jump through hoops and pay lots of money in order to receive licenses from AAMS. Before authorizing any online casino, the Amministrazione checks the background of the managing company and its owners, the liquidity, social responsibilities, financial stability, and many other parameters. Plus, once the permit is granted, websites remain under the microscope as AAMS tracks them for compliance. Any major violation of players’ rights can lead to a website losing its license.

Violations involving delayed or withheld payouts, as well as tampering with the T&C of bonuses are among the issues that an Italian player can call on support for. This just adds to a list of reasons to play at regulated lobbies. On an uncertified platform, a player can go back and forth with the help desk representatives about, let’s say, the casino canceling the payout, and the issue may still resolve not in the player’s favor. Whereas, at regulated platforms, such issues can be taken first to the help desk representatives, and then to the higher regulating authorities.

Not necessarily. The market of international online casinos is huge and many of the internationally licensed platforms will accept players from Italy. At the same time, should anything happen in such lobbies, players won’t be able to complain to AAMS and expect the Amministrazione to impose any sanctions on such brands. Both gaming and complaints will remain within the international jurisdiction.

The market of international platforms is big and it is easier to get lost in it than in a domestic Italian market. This is why we recommend sorting and choosing platforms by licenses that already gained recognition and trust from the global gambling community. One of the most popular is the Curacao-regulated gambling market. There are more than 600 Curacao-compliant sites in our database. Italian players can sort the sites on the list by preferred languages, currencies, payment methods, games, bonuses, and other customized filters.

You definitely may try using VPN. You may even get accepted, and be able to deposit and gamble real money. However, as soon as it comes to cashouts, you may run into lots of trouble, from delayed payouts to the casino team figuring out you come from an unauthorized jurisdiction, which equals to the breach of casino T&C and to annulled winnings and blocked accounts. So yes, while you may try VPN, we do not recommend using it.

Under this license, gamblers will be able to find online operators offering slot machines, live dealer games, lotteries, sportsbooks, and a few other services. The selection of providers within each of these categories will depend on contracts between a casino and studios. The domestic market of slot development in Italy is quite good, and there are also a lot of international sofwtare developers receiving permits from AAMS.

It all starts from trying to resolve a problem internally, with the help desk representatives and the management of an online casino. So, we recommend starting by opening a ticket with the online operator in question. if it does not work, the problem can be escalated to supervising authorities. Also, often it helps to raise issues at influential online gambling sites and forums. Many of these are monitored by casino representatives who are not interested in ruining the reputations of brands. So, they can contribute to problems being resolved faster.

Banking and Payments for Italian Players

When it comes to Italy-licensed online operators, EUR will be the main currency supported by the cashier. Sometimes, it may even be the only one, or in fewer cases, it may come together with USD or other popular currencies. EUR is also one of the most popular currencies when it comes to online gambling in general. We have reviewed well over 900 places to bet and win and can state that 90% of them support payment in Euros, so Italians won’t find it hard to locate international lobbies that support the currency.

If we are talking about websites created specifically for Italy and certified by the local authority, then yes, absolutely — players can count on an assortment of cards, e-wallets, payment methods, and prepaid vouchers available specifically in Italy. Finding Italy-specific payment methods at international lobbies can be a bit more challenging. However, our database does have quite a few online operators friendly to Postepay, for instance. You can also explore the dropdown menu of the payment methods in our filters to check the lists of casinos accepting CartaSi, SEPA, and other services.

Right off the bat, neither of the platforms certified by the government of Italy will accept crypto. If you are one of those players that prefer crypto, you will need to look for websites that comply with international permits like Curacao, Cyprus, Panama, etc. In this case, reputation matters, and we recommend locating and choosing only the websites that have a decent reputation.

Thousands of Italian players opt-in for cryptocurrencies when it comes to online gambling. This means that players take to international platforms. In terms of safety, crypto has its pros and cons. It is volatile, for sure, but it is also decentralized, has lower processing fees, and has faster transactional speed.

Safety is a question that should be considered when choosing a gambling platform. Is it an experienced one? Does it belong to an established owner? Do players share positive feedback about their experience at a particular platform? These are the questions that need to have affirmative answers, and then, there should be fewer worries about the safety of gambling in crypto.

The world of online gambling usually sticks to about 20 out of 100+ types of digital currencies. The list includes Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Doge, Tron Tether, Ripple, Cardano, Ethereum, Dash, and a few others. These will be among the types of cash usually included in the cashiers of gambling lobbies.

Crypto wallets are, by all means, the fastest means to process withdrawals. It may take less than 24 hours to receive wins via crypto wallets. These are followed by regular e-wallets, where between one to two workdays may be required. Payouts by cards take between two to five workdays, and bank transfers can take anywhere between three to six workdays. Plus, keep in mind that if there is verification in place, it may add anywhere between 24 to 72 hours to the initial withdrawal. Also, a lot depends on the speed of the casino when it comes to cashouts.

Jackpot wins are different from regular payouts. Usually, websites have certain limits for maximum withdrawals and if a jackpot exceeds these cashout limits, a platform breaks the payment down into several equal installments and takes a few months to send the full sum to the winner.

This depends on the selected payment method. Usually, transactions from e-wallets to e-wallets (if within the same network) are free but the casino can charge a small fee for processing cashouts. In terms of cards, a bank will add a few of up to 2.5% to both deposits and withdrawals. Although, the merchant is usually the one to pay the deposit fee, but this is not the general rule. As for bank transfers, these are usually the priciest way to claim cash, and commissions of up to 50 EUR may apply.

Promotions and Bonuses for Italian Gamblers

Promotions are the financial ways for an online casino to encourage and attract players. Under no means should such bonuses be considered free cash. In fact, you will rarely see any Italian online casino giving away free money. Bonuses are either cash or other types of incentives (casino spins, reloads, cashback) that come with the so-called T&C — terms and conditions that must be followed.

Bonus terms and conditions are requirements that a player needs to follow in order to clear their bonuses. The T&C will specify deadlines for wagering bonuses, minimum and maximum bets, available games, currencies, and sometimes even payment methods, as well as the wagering requirements.

The wagering requirements are the number of times that either bonus cash, deposited cash, or bonus and deposited cash needs to be rolled over before the bonus is cleared. Let’s say, you deposit 20 EUR and receive a 100% cash match as the welcome bonus. A 100% cash match will be another 20 EUR. Let’s also say that the wagering requirements are 20xBD. This means that you will need to take a sum of the bonus and deposit cash — 40 EUR — and multiply it by 20, which leads to 800 EUR. This is the money that needs to be rolled over on certain games before the bonus is considered cleared.

Every bonus T&C will state the game contribution of games to the bonus wagering requirements. Let’s say, the T&C mentions that slots contribute 100%, while table games will contribute only 50%. This means that with a 20 EUR deposit for a 100% cash match under 20xBD, 800 EUR is a sum that should be rolled over on slots. But if you decide to opt-in for table games, you will need to roll over 1,600 EUR, which is an unnecessary complication.

Welcome bonuses will be available only to newly registered players. They can cover either the first deposit or several initial deposits. The T&C of the certain online operator will inform of the number of deposits. Ongoing bonuses are available to registered regulars — players that have been with an online operator for a while.

Newly registered Italian players can count on deposit and no-deposit-based promotions. No-deposit deals are rare and smaller than classic welcome deals. It can either be some cash, up to 25 EUR, or a certain amount of casino spins. The rollover requirements for such deals are usually higher. Cash-based bonuses can cover one or more initial deposits. In addition to cash, welcome packages can contain casino spins.

Among others, definitely check out SNAI Casino. This platform has a 15 EUR bonus ready for its newbie players. All that is needed to claim it is to create an account. Then, apply for the sign-up no-deposit SNAI promotion and roll it over 20xB on certain slot machines. To know which slots exactly contribute to the rollover requirements of this proposition, check out the T&C.

The platform that we can wholeheartedly recommend is 888 Casino. This was initially a UK-friendly operator but with time it expanded its services to other countries and eventually qualified for an Italian license. Now, players from this country can receive a sign-up package with their initial deposits. This is a 125% cash match topped with casino spins. The wagering requirements are 30xB. T&C apply. FYI, this platform also has no-deposit promotions for Italian gamblers.

A loyalty program is the casino’s way to encourage registered players to come back and deposit more cash, while at the same time rewarding registered regulars with unique promotions. Different casinos have different approaches to making their players VIP members. Usually, it depends on the amount of cash a client is willing to deposit or is depositing regularly over a certain period of time. Two of the most popular ways to become a VIP player (both available to Italian players) are to either make solid deposits and eventually receive an invitation from an online operator, or to collect enough loyalty points to be automatically enrolled with the loyalty program.

No, becoming a VIP does not mean gaining access to free stuff. It simply means unlocking unique promotions that are still subject to the rollover requirements. Although, some VIP programs will have more than mere original promotions. They will also support their VIP players with lower rollover terms on general promotions, as well as with higher withdrawal limits, etc.

To find the website most suitable for your needs, simply adjust the search filters to the loyalty programs and specify Italy as the country of interest. Or, head to NetBet Casino. This is an internationally-friendly platform that accepts Italians and is ready to support its registered regulars with a big VIP program and a lot of unique promotions and perks.

Italy-Friendly Games and Software

The concept of a lobby friendly to international traffic includes juggling several licenses at once. The casino managing team will include content from as many developers as possible but will show the content to countries in accordance with the licensing of the developers. Let’s say, an international platform accepts simultaneously Italians and Brits, and has games by Net Entertainment and Eyecon. Well, NetEnt is certified to cater to both countries and will, therefore, be visible regardless of whether you play from Italy or from the UK. On the other hand, Eyecon is solely UK-targeter and does not have a license to cater to Italians. Therefore, you won’t see Eyecon slots in your lobby if you play from Italy.

Yes, this country’s game development scene is a busy one, with lots of brands being hugely successful at home, as well as across international markets. One of such brands is Capecod Gaming. The company dates back to 1987! Of course, back then there was no talk of it being an online content creator. But as the industry evolved, so did the team of Capecod Gaming. In addition to a huge portfolio of great slots, a few years ago, the brand released BIGpoker®, which turned out to be Italy’s first very own poker platform. Only a year later, the introduction of the iGaming Platform® was arranged. This piece of software is one of the major products of the studio today, and it is highly acknowledged by all operators that integrate it.

The secret to winning more in slots is not to overthink it. Slot machines are not games of strategy, they are all based on chance. It means that players are advised to keep emotions in check and have a clear limit for the overall slot spinning budget and stakes in mind. With this budget in mind, bets are placed and reels are rolled in hope that luck is on one’s side. But it is impossible to predict the outcome of any slot spin.

RTP stands for Return to Player Percentage — a math model that should give a player an understanding of which percentage of their investment players can expect back. The higher the RTP, the bigger the return on investment. RTPs of 97% to 98% are considered high and preferrable but they are also quite rare. It is more common to see slots with RTP of 96% or less but usually no less than 94%.

Progressive slots are games where a certain percentage of every stake a player makes is contributed to the so-called pot. Therefore, every player that plays a progressive slot can potentially with a jackpot. However, most of such slots will have a minimum bet requirement that will serve as a ticket to entering the progressive zone. Two players can play the same jackpot slot, but one bid under 5 Euros and remains in the regular game mode where a jackpot is not available. The second player bids 5 EUR per spin and can hope for a game to randomly trigger the jackpot round. But even when in the jackpot round, this is not yet a guarantee for a major win as even in such a round, the outcome is determined by chance. The minimum stake of 5 EUR is mentioned in this paragraph as an example. Every progressive slot may have its own T&C.

Yes, absolutely. Quite a few popular content creators qualified for Italian licenses and can now offer live dealer baccarat, roulette, blackjack, and game shows to Italian players.

Depends on the game. Games like roulette and baccarat have very simple rules and are games of chance. There are no strategies for predicting where the roulette ball lands or which card will the dealer draw out of the baccarat shoe. With games like blackjack or poker, the rules are a bit more complex and there are a few startegies to rely on that may help achieve good gambling outcomes. However, like with every other game of chance, we will remind that gambling is for recreational purposes and should not be regarded as a stable source of income. Especially when it comes to online games that often differ significantly from the way games are played at land-based venues.

This technique proves to be useless when it comes to online gambling. More decks are used per shoe, the cards are frequently shuffled, and all of this makes counting cards a useless strategy. So, we do not recommend relying on this old strategy and to opt-in for a smart blackjack bankroll instead.

Italy: Practical Online Gambling Guide

Practical Gambling Guide for Italy (Recommended to Newbie Gamblers)

Our Take on Online Gambling in Italy

Top Casinos and Bonuses for players from ITALY

We did not find any casino under the conditions you specified. Try to undo some filters or see the full list of casinos.

We did not find any casino under the conditions you specified. Try to undo some filters or see the full list of bonuses .

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Licensing and Legality of Italian Online Gambling

Banking and Payments for Italian Players

Promotions and Bonuses for Italian Gamblers

Italy-Friendly Games and Software

New Online Casinos in Italy

Italy: Practical Online Gambling Guide

Practical Gambling Guide for Italy (Recommended to Newbie Gamblers)

Our Take on Online Gambling in Italy

Top Casinos and Bonuses for players from ITALY

We did not find any casino under the conditions you specified. Try to undo some filters or see the full list of casinos.

We did not find any casino under the conditions you specified. Try to undo some filters or see the full list of bonuses .

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Licensing and Legality of Italian Online Gambling

Why is it better to play in an Italy-licensed online lobby than at an unlicensed one?

What are the issues that players can complain about in a licensed online lobby?

Can Italian players gamble only at lobbies regulated in Italy?

What are international licensed lobbies where Italians can gamble?

Can I play via VPN in a lobby that does not accept players from Italy?

What services can a player count on under the Italian license?

How can I raise an issue with a regulated platform if I run into a problem?

Banking and Payments for Italian Players

How easy is it to find EUR at websites that welcome Italians?

Are there any Italy-specific payment methods included in online cashiers?

How hard is it to find platforms for Italians that accept crypto?

Is it safe to gamble in crypto?

Which cryptocurrencies are better?

Which of the payment methods are the quickest to pay?

How quickly does an online operator pay jackpot wins?

Are deposits and withdrawals fee-free?

Promotions and Bonuses for Italian Gamblers

What are promotions and are they free money?

What is bonus T&C?

What are the wagering requirements for bonuses?

What is a bonus game contribution?

What is the difference between welcome and ongoing bonuses?

What are possible welcome bonuses?

Which Italy-friendly online operators offer decent no-deposit welcome bonuses?

Which platforms that accept Italians are ready to support players from this country with classic welcome bonuses?

What is the loyalty program and is it available to Italian players?

Are VIP or loyalty promotions free?

Which Italy-friendly online operators have VIP programs?

Italy-Friendly Games and Software

Why am I at the international lobby that offers 100+ software developers but I cannot access all of them?

Are there internationally-recognized slot developers based in Italy?

What is the secret to winning more in slots?

What is slot RTP and does it matter?

How do progressive slots work?

Can Italian players have access to live games?

Do I need to have certain skills to be successful in live games?

Can I count cards in live casino blackjack?

New Online Casinos in Italy