Italy online gambling: PD senators press MEF on AML risks

The growth of online gambling and the increasingly rapid development of technologies applied to betting are creating new challenges for regulators and institutions. Digital payments, e-wallets, cryptocurrencies and new forms of betting are reshaping the market, making it necessary to constantly update monitoring and control tools.

The issue has been raised with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) through a parliamentary question submitted by a group of Democratic Party (PD) senators. The question asks for clarification on planned initiatives to strengthen measures against possible money laundering and tax evasion in the online gambling sector.

The parliamentary question, signed by 18 Democratic Party senators, focuses on some of the most significant changes in the iGaming ecosystem. These range from the management of financial flows through digital instruments to the spread of prediction market platforms, as well as practices such as matched betting, sure betting and the improper use of multiple gambling accounts.

The issue highlights one of the sector’s main challenges: supporting innovation and market competitiveness while ensuring transparency, security and full regulatory compliance.

Online gambling in the Italian market

Italy’s regulated gambling sector remains one of the country’s most important economic sectors. According to figures cited in the parliamentary question and in sector analysis, the total amount wagered in the Italian market stood at around €165 billion in 2025.

Remote gambling now plays an increasingly central role and has firmly overtaken the traditional land-based channel. Online gambling accounts for more than half of total stakes, confirming a structural shift in consumer habits.

Digitalisation has supported greater accessibility and created new commercial opportunities for operators and licence holders. However, it has also made monitoring activity more complex.

To support this transformation, Legislative Decree No. 41 of 25 March 2024 introduced a reorganisation of the regulated remote gambling sector, updating several aspects of the rules applying to licensed operators and to the tools used by players.

Payment traceability and money laundering risk in online gambling

One of the main points in the parliamentary question concerns the traceability of financial movements linked to gambling accounts.

The senators focus on tools such as prepaid cards, digital wallets and top-up systems connected to online platforms. According to the signatories, these require constant monitoring to prevent possible misuse.

The Financial Intelligence Unit of the Bank of Italy has also highlighted over the years the need to maintain heightened attention on the gambling sector, particularly in relation to the use of non-cash payment instruments and the correct identification of the parties involved in transactions.

The central issue is not only the technical recording of transactions, but also the system’s ability to guarantee the actual origin of funds and prevent practices such as accounts held under false names or the use of third parties.

New top-up limits and the role of PVRs

Another issue addressed concerns the Punti Vendita Ricariche, or PVRs, which are retail top-up points linked to online gambling accounts.

The rules introduced by the sector reorganisation provide for new measures to increase the traceability of financial flows. From 13 May 2026, provisions limiting the use of cash at PVRs came into force, setting a weekly cap of €100. Above that threshold, traceable payment instruments must be used.

The aim is to reduce the risk of money of unverified origin being transferred into gambling accounts through channels that are difficult to monitor.

The parliamentary question also asks the MEF to assess whether certain systems based on named cards, internal wallets or similar tools used by concessionaires are fully compliant with current legislation and with the objectives set out under anti-money laundering rules.

This is a particularly sensitive point for the sector, which must balance operational efficiency with compliance standards.

Debate on prediction markets and cryptocurrencies

The parliamentary document also focuses on prediction market platforms, a phenomenon that has grown rapidly internationally. These systems allow users to make forecasts about the outcome of future events, using models that may share characteristics with both betting and financial instruments.

The regulatory debate mainly concerns platforms without national authorisation and those based on the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

According to the senators, some operating models based simply on connecting digital wallets could make user identification and the fiscal monitoring of proceeds more complex.

The senators’ text also refers to the case of Polymarket, an international prediction market platform, as an example of the new challenges that the sector’s development poses for regulators.

Matched betting, sure betting and the improper use of multiple gambling accounts

The parliamentary question also addresses strategies used by some users to obtain profits by comparing odds and promotions offered by operators.

Matched betting is mainly based on the combined use of bonuses and promotional offers, while sure betting exploits temporary differences between odds available from different bookmakers.

When carried out occasionally with licensed operators, these practices fall within normal market dynamics. The issue raised by the senators concerns the possible transformation of such activity into organised and continuous systems aimed at generating regular income.

According to the signatories, a clearer framework is needed to distinguish occasional use from structured forms of activity that could take on professional characteristics.

Multi accounting and the protection of system integrity

Multi accounting is also among the practices highlighted. This refers to the creation or management of several gambling accounts registered in the names of different people.

In some cases, this practice is used to circumvent restrictions imposed by operators on certain types of user conduct.

The risk identified concerns the possible use of fictitious account holders, which may conflict with the principles underpinning anti-money laundering legislation and with tools used to verify player identity.

For this reason, the senators are calling for stronger control measures, including greater coordination with the Customs and Monopolies Agency, ADM.

Future of online gambling regulation

The transformation of online gambling is creating an increasingly complex challenge for institutions: building a regulatory system capable of keeping pace with technological change without obstructing innovation.

Artificial intelligence, blockchain and new digital financial instruments are rapidly changing the way users interact with the betting market.

For the iGaming sector, the next point of balance will depend on the ability to combine technological development, consumer protection and the security of financial flows.

The parliamentary question submitted to the MEF confirms that compliance will become increasingly central to the future of online gambling, both for licensed operators and for regulators tasked with governing a global transformation.

This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 1 June 2026.

All roads lead to the mother of all conferences in Rome from 02 to 05 November 2026. SiGMA World takes over Fiera Roma, bringing together 30,000 delegates, 1,000+ exhibitors, and 550+ expert speakers. This is where the right room can change your roadmap.