Best Online Casinos in Italy 2023

An Overview of Online Casinos in Italy

Why go for online casinos? It all boils down to what they have to offer. There are only five real-world casinos in Italy. By contrast, Italian players have countless online casinos they can play legally. It might not be as lavish as a brick-and-mortar venue, but it is more convenient and usually more exciting.

With so many options, Italians will find themselves spoiled for choice. All the online casinos compete against each other, meaning tons of high-quality websites with support for the Italian language. The competition also drives these websites to feature many superb casino games made by well-known software providers.

Italian online casinos support several popular payment methods while offering a variety of promotions and games. We consider all these elements before recommending a site.

Want to skip the hassle and jump straight into the action? We already have a list of the top Italian-friendly online casinos. Our team thoroughly checks all websites, meaning you can immediately start playing.

Italy’s Gambling History

People have been gambling for centuries, and Italy is no different. However, the country has undoubtedly had a massive impact on gaming as we know it today. The first records of gambling in Italy date back to the Roman Empire. Roman legionnaires entertained themselves by playing Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum, a game considered a predecessor to modern backgammon.

That is not the first popular casino game with supposed roots in Italy. Italy was the home of the Renaissance and powerful merchant families in its time. Both factors allowed different games to flow into Italy, popularising them in the process. Baccarat, an online casino must-have, is also said to have originated in Italy in the 15th century.

Bingo also supposedly has roots in Italy. A game called Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia, popular in the 15th century, is remarkably similar to bingo. 

Italy also offered places where people could come in to play their favorite gambling games. Venice was the first to launch these gambling houses, called Ridotto. However, the house edge on games in these gambling houses was too high, so games were only available to higher-class citizens. Ridotto was banned in 1774.

However, outlawing gambling houses did not stop people’s appetites for games. Instead, players turned to illegal gambling venues called casinos. Not only was Italy the home of casino games, but it also gave us the word casino.

For most of modern Italian history, the country kept gambling illegal. However, that did not extend to all gaming activities. For example, sports betting and lotteries remained legal, as they were considered games of skill instead of luck-based games.

Thankfully, restrictive gambling laws are a thing of the past for Italians. Italian players can play on countless online casinos without any game restrictions. Liberal gambling laws have also allowed land-based casinos to launch in the country. At the time of our review, there were five in total. 

• Casino Venice
• Casino Saint-Vincent
• Casino de la Vallee
• Casino di Campione d’Italia
• Casino di Sanremo

Prospective gamblers must be at least 18 years old to enter these venues. Casinos must verify the identity of each player by checking their ID upon entry.

Recent Italian Gambling Laws

Italy’s online gambling market took off in 2006. The European Commission at the time found many of the country’s anti-gambling regulations were against EU directives. Because of that, the government made amendments to its gambling laws in 2010. These changes allowed foreign online gambling operators to serve Italian customers, provided they had a proper license. 

One year later, gambling laws were loosened again, allowing players to enjoy casino games legally for real money. The government also fully legalized playing poker for real money in 2011. Before this law passed, only poker tournaments were legal.

Since then, Italy has not made any notable changes to its laws. The country did it right the first time around, opening up to online gambling while imposing regulation and player protection. As a result, the laws are sturdy enough to see the rise of mobile casinos without any significant updates to legislation.

Is Playing in Online Casinos Legal in Italy?

Playing at brick-and-mortar and online casinos is perfectly legal in Italy, albeit with a caveat. Casinos that plan to serve Italian customers must have a license issued by Italy’s gambling and licensing authority. Do you want to confirm that an online casino is available to you as an Italian? All you have to do is check for a license issued by the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (AASM).

For Italians, wagering at offshore online casinos with other licenses is illegal. Websites may be authorized by the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Commission, Gibraltar, or Cyprus. However, they must also obtain an AASM license if they want to accept Italian customers legally.

An AASM license covers many forms of online gambling:

• Casino Games
• Horse Betting 
• Bingo
• Poker
• Poker Tournaments
• Fixed Odds Wagers
• Solitaire Poker Games
• Games of Skill

AASM licenses impose a few strict requirements operators must meet to acquire them. For example, they must manage games on European soil and have a turnover of more than €1.5 million over the past two fiscal years. In addition, an operator must pay a €350,000 one-time fee to obtain a license. 

The AASM also limits the number of Italian online gambling licenses to 200. So, new online casinos hoping to enter the Italian market must wait for a spot to open.

Unsurprisingly, many online casinos accept Italian players despite these limitations. Players join unlicensed websites, although they are illegal. So far, no Italians have been prosecuted for playing in unauthorized online casinos. The Italian government has only gone after operators that violate its rules.

Overall, we are pleased with how Italy handled online gambling legalization. However, high requirements and limited availability of its license mean the government is seriously missing out. Getting rid of the 200 license limit would go a long way in attracting more operators.

Pros and Cons of Italian Online Casinos

If you decide to give Italian online casinos a go, you should know their good and bad sides. 

The Pros

• Many high-quality casino games
• Various supported payment methods
• Responsive customer support
• Excellent responsible gambling support
• Italy-specific regulator
• More convenient than real-world casinos 

The Cons

• Casino winnings are taxed
• Not as immersive as land-based casinos
• Requires greater self-control

What Games Do Italians Love Most?

The best online casinos in Italy have to accommodate all the casino games players want. That is no easy feat, considering Italians love many fantastic releases. Because of that, websites appealing to the Italian market always feature plenty of game diversity.

Among casino games, video slots are the go-to entertainment for casino members. However, many turn to popular table games such as poker, roulette, and blackjack. Table games have seen continued growth, especially with the rise of live dealer games. 

Casino games are not the only gambling releases popular in Italy. Bingo and lotteries have a long history in the country, and their popularity extends to online games too. Sports betting is also prominent, which is why many online casinos have sportsbooks.

Italy’s online casinos can offer all these games and more. AASM-licensed websites offer the following titles:

• Video slots
• Classic slots
• Jackpots
• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Sports betting
• Poker
• Lotteries
• Scratch Cards
• Keno & Bingo

How We Pick the Best Italian Online Casinos

With so many available online casinos, your options for gambling are almost limitless. Hundreds of websites offer tempting deals to draw you in. Because of that, players may feel overwhelmed when deciding what casino to go for. On this page, you will find the best online casinos in Italy, so pick the one that suits your needs and start playing!

Stay with us if you are curious about how we rate Italian casinos. Below, you can find how we rate Italian casinos, with our criteria and how they affect the score highlighted.

Italian Online Casino Security 

Any service provider that handles real-money transactions online must have top-class security. That is true for banks, and it is valid for online casinos. We look into what security measures websites take to protect transactions. Encryption is a must, while all additional measures raise its score.

Fortunately, players no longer have to worry about shady casinos. One advantage of the AASM and its limited number of licenses is that every website is thoroughly looked at. The regulator has strict fair-play standards operators have to follow to access the Italian market. The casino will be criminally prosecuted if it fails to follow the license. In extreme circumstances, the casino may lose it. Considering the high cost of acquiring it in the first place, that will dissuade operators from breaking the rules.

Support for the Italian Language

Italian online casinos obviously must support the Italian language. Therefore, all elements of the website should be available in Italian. The casino also has to offer the Euro as a primary currency. 

Most websites that accept Italians also have audiences from other countries. Because of that, it is not uncommon to see English or other languages available in online casinos. 

Availability of Customer Support

Modern online casinos offer live chat to contact customer support. With a few clicks or taps, players can talk to a support agent with very brief waiting times. That beats email by a fair amount both in response time and transparency. The best Italian casinos we recommend have live chat as an option.

We prioritize live chat with professional and friendly support agents, although email support remains an option in most online casinos. Round-the-clock customer support is another must. Additionally, some operators provide you with customer support via phone.

Software and Games

One of the best ways to check the quality of the casino you are interested in is to see its games. Italian online casinos feature games by industry-leading developers like NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Yggdrasil, Play’n GO, and many more.

For Italians, that usually means thousands of fantastic, high-quality casino games. They provide unparalleled gameplay variety, aesthetics, and win potential.

Our reviews highlight the good and the bad of each casino’s game selection. That way, you will always know what kind of titles you can expect on that website.

Slot Machines

Slot games are the most popular game type among Italians. Their popularity stems from the variety slots offer, from themes and bonus features to volatility levels.

Video slots are modern slot games with complex visuals and exciting special features. Meanwhile, classic slots often feature smaller game boards and visuals reminiscent of physical machines. Progressive jackpot slots take a portion of each bet into one big prize, which is awarded randomly. 

Table Games

We cannot have an online casino without table games. RNG-powered blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and poker have been integral to every gambling website. Italian online casinos also feature fun variants of casino classics. 

Live Casino

Take the popularity of table games and add in real dealers – you get live casino games. Live casino developers stream their releases from specially built studios to ensure high video quality. Evolution powers most live dealer games in Italian online casinos.

Italian Online Casino Bonuses

We cannot deny the importance of promotions when deciding what online casino to pick. Gambling sites have plenty of competition and use bonuses to try and one-up each other. That means fantastic offers available for new and existing casino members.

New players often receive a welcome bonus to kick-start their online casino adventure. In addition, existing casino members benefit from free spins, cashback, and deposit match offers.

Welcome Bonus

The welcome offer is the first and most valuable deal you can get at an online casino. It grants one or more deposit match bonuses, giving an impressive sum of free cash.

You have to check the wagering requirements the bonus carries before accepting it. High wagering requirements can make a seemingly great welcome offer not worth claiming.

Free Spins Bonus

Free spins promotions are straightforward, providing players with a few rounds on one or more selected slot games at no cost. Free spin wins are considered bonus cash, subject to wagering requirements players have to meet. Italian casinos offer free spins as part of welcome packages or standalone promotions.

No Deposit Bonus

No deposit bonuses are a rare treat. As the name implies, you do not have to deposit funds. However, these promotions usually restrict maximum wins and have higher wagering requirements.

Responsible Gambling

We also look if the casino has responsible gambling tools we can use. These include:

• Deposit limits
• Cooling-off / Self-exclusion
• Reality Check

Deposit limits allow players to limit how much they can deposit daily, weekly, or monthly. Some websites also allow you to limit losses, blocking you from playing if you exceed that amount.

Cooling off allows players to block themselves from playing for a set time, from a few hours to a few weeks. Self-exclusion does the same thing but over a more extended period.

Finally, some casinos have the option to enable Reality Check. This feature will remind you to take a break after a set amount of time passes.

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