Gambling has always been a popular pastime in Italy. Italians are quick to embrace new opportunities and new ways of doing business, so it is no surprise that online gambling has also gained a great deal of traction there. Here are five reasons why online gambling has taken off in Italy and why it will likely continue to thrive.
1. Italy has a long and rich history with the gambling industry.
The word "Casino" comes from the Italian language. The popular game Baccarat originated in Italy in the fifteenth century, and Bingo is also an Italian invention. Venice, Italy is the home of what is arguably the world's oldest casino, the Casino di Venezia established in 1638. This illustrates how deeply ingrained gambling has been throughout Italy's history. As a result of this long history, Italy has been quick to embrace more modern forms of gambling, which include online casinos.
2. Italy has relatively lax gambling laws.
Compared to many other countries, Italy has a relaxed attitude towards gambling. The legal age to gamble in Italy is eighteen, compared to twenty-one in some other countries. In 2006 Italy liberalized its gambling market by allowing the legalization of real-money skill-based games and betting exchanges. It also opened the Italian gambling market for operators from both EFTA and EU countries and created a new license tender system that allowed for legal offline and online gambling.
3. Many different types of gambling are legal in Italy.
Italy allows the licensing of many different types of online games of chance and skill that can be played for real-world money. These include cash poker games, casino games, tournament and solitaire poker games, horse pools, bingo, and various skill-based games. They also allow licensing for fixed odds and totalizator sports, horse racing, and other event betting.
If you want to play an online slot machine, then finding a legal slot online is easy in Italy. In many cases, it may be easier than using a casino in the real world. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and an account on the casino site that you wish to play on.
4. Italy has a huge number of online gaming portals.
There are at least one hundred and sixty online gambling portals licensed in Italy. This gives Italians a huge variety of portals to choose from which use the Italian language and support Italian banking institutions.
5. Italy is part of the European Union.
As a member of the EU, Italy enjoys a common currency with the rest of Europe. This allows online Italian casinos and their customers to benefit from the convenience of gambling in euros. The European Union also has a relatively liberal attitude towards gambling and has forced Italy to relax restrictions on online gambling several times in the past. This allows other European online casino operators to compete in the Italian gambling market.
Italy is a place that is rich in history and culture, but it is also happy to embrace new technologies. Online gambling is one of the many technologies that Italians have taken to heart. So it is likely that online games of chance will continue to thrive in Italy as long as the Italian government continues to support their use and doesn't sabotage this booming industry.