Italy's gambling tax revenue falls in 2026: first four-month intake reaches €2.5 billion
Italy’s regulated gambling sector continues to make a significant contribution to state coffers, but the first tax revenue data for 2026 show signs of a slowdown compared with the previous year. After a year in which the sector made a substantial contribution to the public finances, the latest update from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) confirms a phase of transformation for the regulated gambling industry.
The Ministry’s Tax Revenue Bulletin outlines the performance of the first months of the year. According to data published by the Ministry, between January and April 2026, tax revenue from gambling in Italy reached €2.524 billion across the sector’s various categories.
The comparison analysed by the Ministry over the same reporting scope shows a decrease of €213 million compared with the first four months of 2025, representing a fall of 7.8 per cent. Despite the slowdown in tax revenue, the sector therefore continues to play a significant role in the national economy. At the same time, the industry is undergoing change, influenced by regulatory developments, new consumer habits, and the growing role of digital channels.
Gaming machines: retail segment records the sharpest decline
Among the different components of the public gambling sector, gaming machines and devices continue to represent one of the main sources of tax revenue, but also the segment recording the most evident decline.
In the January to April 2026 period, revenue from gaming machines and devices totalled €1.684 billion. In the same period of 2025, the figure was €1.857 billion. The difference amounts to €173 million, representing a reduction of 9.3 per cent.
The trend becomes even clearer when looking at performance over recent years. In the first four months of 2024, machines generated €1.960 billion. The progressive decline recorded over the following two years means the segment has lost around €276 million compared with 2024 levels, equal to a decrease of 14.1 per cent.
Land-based gambling: uneven performance in the first four months
The monthly analysis shows a picture marked by strong fluctuations. January 2026 recorded the lowest result in the period analysed, with tax revenue from machines standing at €409 million. The figure is lower than both the €694 million recorded in January 2025 and the €521 million recorded in the same month of 2024.
February saw a partial recovery, reaching €391 million. March, however, was the strongest month of the first four months: at €455 million, it was the only month able to exceed the results recorded in the previous two years. In April, the trend turned negative again, with revenue of €429 million, down from €501 million in 2025 and €677 million in 2024.
Indirect taxes and other public gambling segments
The reduction also affected indirect taxes linked to gambling activities, including lotteries and other forms of regulated gambling. In the January to April 2026 period, revenue from this category reached €2.113 billion. The comparison with the same category in 2025 shows a decrease of €247 million, representing a 10.5 per cent fall.
The decline in other gambling activities was more limited, with tax revenue of €137 million, down from €140 million the previous year. The contribution from casinos was stable at €14 million.
Seeking a new balance between retail and digital
The data on gambling tax revenue in Italy for the first four months of 2026, therefore, show a sector that continues to provide significant resources to the State but is undergoing a phase of gradual transformation. The slowdown in gaming machines comes amid the rationalisation of the land-based network, an evolving regulatory framework, and growth in the online sector.
Retail still plays a central role in Italy’s regulated gambling ecosystem, but the sector’s balance is shifting. The coming months will be decisive in determining whether the gaming machine segment can stabilise or whether the contraction in tax revenue will continue into the second half of the year.
The headline figure remains the industry’s economic contribution: in the first four months of 2026 alone, public gambling contributed more than €2.5 billion to state revenue.
This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 8 June 2026.
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