Italy’s betting landscape is often looked at as a pillar of excellence in the sports betting industry, and as a result many wonder what potential is left for such a long-standing betting landscape and how operators can adapt to a competitive and highly-regulated space like Italy’s.
Speaking With Altenar’s Regional Director, Francesco Papallo, the market expert shed light over how Italy’s landscape has triumphed over global adversity and how it will continue to thrive through its inherent peculiarities such as restriction through regulation and how development has to be more innovative than ever before.
“Italy is one of Europe’s biggest gambling nations especially when it comes to sports and horse racing. With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting many businesses around the world, and Italy was not exempt fr om this, but during the following several months sportsbooks in Italy saw a huge rise. In the country there are also regulatory limits that make it more difficult to make certain types of developments.”
“Italy was one of the first countries to have introduced a ban on sponsorship for gaming operators, and the internal regulation applies restricted procedures such as regarding certifications or publishing of sporting events, this is certainly one of the peculiarities that identify the gaming market in Italy.” - Francesco Papallo, Regional Director, Italy.
With this in mind there are a handful of instances wh ere Italy’s betting landscape holds untapped potential.
Esports: With a growing and increasingly tech-savvy population of gamers surfacing throughout Italy, the landscape could witness increased demand for Esports and competitive gaming options for betting.
Eruption of new betting channels: Social media could be the next venture in the betting world, especially with the increased usage of social media platforms and influencer marketing, this could see betting companies find new ways to allow betting on-the-go.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: Though this is not new in the betting industry, advancements in this field could change the way betting technologies are used and make it increasingly easier for betting content to be tailored to the desired player(s).
Below is some insight into Italy’s betting landscape and a brief overview of some neighbouring betting landscapes to demonstrate highly regulated markets can increase and ensure the inherent value of your sports betting product / operations.
Italy:
- Strict rules and regulations.
- Strong sports betting culture - with a love for football.
- Relatively high taxation.
- Restricts advertising.
- Highly competitive market with a small number of operators.
Spain:
- Highly regulated.
- A cultural love for sports and betting, especially around football.
- High tax.
- Restrictions around advertising.
- Competitive landscape.
Germany:
- Has a new regulatory landscape and this means potentially subject to change.
- Betting is popular throughout Germany and is particularly favoured for football and horse racing.
- Taxes on betting activities.
- Recent legislation for online betting.
Portugal:
- Regulated with strict rules and regulations.
- Has a rapidly growing sports betting landscape, particularly in football.
- Has a relatively high tax rate on betting activities.
- Restricted advertising for services.
- Market is home to a few large operators.
Sweden:
- Strict rules and regulations imposed by the Swedish government.
- High sports betting culture, with a particular love for ice hockey.
- High tax rate for betting activities.
- Permits advertising of services, though some restrictions do apply.
If you’d like to learn more about Italy’s betting landscape you can contact Altenar’s team today to begin your sportsbook journey right!
