In terms of new offerings for players using Italian-regulated sites, the launch last December of the first sanctioned online slots helped boost February’s online casino revenue by 80%. According to unofficial figures from Italian regulator AAMS viewed by eGamingReview, that trend is accelerating, with online casino revenue in H1 2013 up 94.5% to €114m. However, the appeal of the new and the shiny has put a serious crimp into the poker sector’s returns. Gross gaming revenue from online poker cash games in H1 has fallen 33.5% to €78.5m, while tournament revenue has fallen even further, down 36.9% to €57m.
Italy’s regulated market was a primo whipping boy on Day 1 of the World Gaming Executive Summit in Barcelona. SCM Lawyers partner Quirino Mancini told attendees the regulated market was a “bleak” environment in which a few operators – PokerStars, 888, Lottomatica – are doing well “but the majority are simply surviving.” Intergame’s Stewart Darkin quoted Mancini saying the “very crowded market” was “entering a new consolidation and integration phase,” suggesting the distance between winners and losers would become even more obvious.
The regulated online market represents just 10% of Italy’s overall gambling revenue, compared to 20% in the UK’s more mature market, but Mancini said that “in terms of restricting illegal activity, it is very important.” Italian police recently broke up a major illegal online gambling ring in which the servers were based out of Romania, somewhat undercutting Mancini’s claims that while Italy still had a “sizable illegal gaming offer in Italy,” it was “not as big or threatening as it used to be.”