Italy Legalizes Internet Slot Games

Italy, which only in recent years legalized internet gambling, has seen the financial benefits that this gaming sector can bring to the country and has now announced that it will allow approved operators to offer slot games on the internet beginning in December. Italian slot players have been waiting for this approval for almost an entire year.

This decision will put Italy ahead of most other European Union (EU) countries in terms of offering the widest selection of regulated and legal betting systems. Reports indicate that the Italian governing body, the Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies (AAMS) will continue to allow internet based gambling to expand further.

However, the Italian government is certainly not going to let casino operators do as they please. The AAMS will have to approve every internet slot before its release and operators will only be allowed to launch new games on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Furthermore, operators will not be allowed to launch cash poker or other casino games at the same time as internet slots as the AAMS feels that this would give the largest casino operators an advantage over smaller companies. Another regulation that Italy requires of its operators is to allow all internet gambling players to have one casino wallet that can be accessed at any licensed internet casino.

Since Italy began accepting foreign operators in 2011, the internet gambling sector has brought in about €9.8 billion. The news is not all good though as Italy has seen a decline of nearly 20% in bingo, sports betting and poker revenues. The introduction of video slot games at casinos on the internet should make up for this deficit as slot games contribute at least 50% of the income for casino operators.