Italy busts another DBG/Dollaro Poker-linked Mafia gambling ring

Italy’s online gambling market started the year off on a bang thanks to a double-digit gains everywhere except – you guessed it – poker cash games.

According to figures compiled by Italian gaming news agency Agimeg.it, the nation’s licensed sports betting operators reported overall turnover rising 35% to €775m in January, 35% higher than the same month last year and €5m higher than December’s total. Online sports betting’s share of this bounty was €420m, up 30% year-on-year.

No prizes for guessing that Bet365 topped the online turnover charts with €140.3m, representing a 33.2% share of the total, up marginally from December’s 32.7%. Eurobet was a distant second with €39.8m, while Sisal (€32.5m) edged out Snai (€30.8m) and William Hill rounded out the top-five with €25.5m.

Online casino revenue grew 22.5% year-on-year to €45.8m, which was €800k higher than December’s take. The top three were unchanged from December, with Lottomatica in front with €4.8m, followed by Sisal (€3.8m) and Amaya Gaming’s PokerStars (€3.6m).