Italy’s Illegal Gambling Market Expands During COVID Lockdowns
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Illegal gambling in Italy increased 50% during the COVID pandemic. The report was submitted to the Italian Senate earlier this week. It estimates the value of illegal gambling during 2020 at $20.33 billion. In 2019, the share of the illegal market in the country was $13.55 billion, but it is expected to reach $22.59 billion by the end of 2021.
The gambling advertisement ban in Italy has backfired. Google was targeted over an illegal gambling ad, but was eventually exempted. The government should be responsible for regulating illegal betting. The report pointed out that the government had made no coordinated effort to address gambling addiction. It was praised by a professor of criminal law Paola Severino. He said that to regulate gambling effectively, the industry would need to steal a share of those operations run by nefarious parties, such as Mafiosi. Italy's land-based revenue fell by $39.53 billion, while the increase in regulated online gambling had not been able to plug the gap.
