Italy relaxes grip on online gambling

Italy has witnessed the rise of online poker to two hundred million euros in 2009 from one hundred and eighty eight million euros in 2008. For one year this is a substantial expansion for internet poker.

According to the state gambling monopoly AAMS, the total number of gamblers in Italy climbed nine and half percent in 2009’s first five months, reaching twenty two billion euros. The Italian government has promoted a path to assist in remoting the gaming sphere to get it more on its feet all due to Italy’s apparent enjoyment of online gambling. There are now being put together new laws for the extension of licensing agreements for services of placing bets and for casino poker on virtual venues.

The Chief Officer of Amministrazione Autonoma dei monopoli dei Stato (AAMS) in charge of remote gaming at state regulator, Francesco Rodano, noted that the objective is to transmit in the coming months the draft laws to the European Commission hoping that by the end of this year the new laws will be viable.

Twenty percent gross profits tax would be fixed on the new internet games according to Rodano who was commenting on the tax levels. In regard to gross gaming revenues on sports betting, this increases the present four and half percent tax. 

According to Rodano’s explanation, in regard to tournament poker three percent of gross gaming revenues can thus be taken, however, it would not be the case for cash games because the operator gets his share via each pot, so that according to Rodano, they would have to remove the tax from the operator’s share; allowing them to obtain acceptable commercial levels by setting the rake.

Various online permanent sports betting and online poker contest games are now licensed in Italy. Internet gambling in Italy is limited to ‘internal’ networks for Italian gamblers. Noticing the possibility for expansion, operators have started in the name of international operators to press the government for opening the locked system.

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