Italy’s regulated online gambling market revenue improves by one-fifth in Q1

Italy’s regulated online gambling market revenue rose more than one-fifth in Q1 2016, led by major surges in online casino and sports betting.

According to official government figures, total online gambling revenue from Italian-licensed operators in the three months ending March 31 was €267m, up 21% from the same period last year.

The casino vertical claimed the lion’s share of the overall revenue pie at €106m, representing a hefty 38% year-on-year improvement. The surge was even higher than the 31% rise the casino vertical posted throughout all of 2015. Lottomatica (GTech) is the market’s leading online casino operator, claiming nearly 15% of 2015’s casino revenue.

Online sports betting reported an even larger year-on-year surge, rising 42% to €96m. The gains were spurred by extremely favorable sporting results in January, during which online sportsbook revenue rose 97% to €36m. Bet365 is the market’s unquestioned online sports betting operator, claiming nearly one-fifth of total online betting handle last year.