Italy is one of the latest countries in Europe to open up its online gambling market. Like France, Italy received an influx of license applications, and the country will soon be handing out its first set of licenses to online gambling operators from around the globe.
Previously, there was a monopoly on Italy’s online gambling market, meaning only one operator was allowed to offer its services to citizens. All other operators were banned. However, the European Union determined that such a system violated free trade regulations and ordered Italy to provide international operators with the right to offer their services to residents of the country.
Italy adopted a similar scheme to France, requiring all international operators to apply for licenses in order to operate in the country. The Italian Gaming Authority will look over the applications and decide who is a suitable candidate for online gambling operation in Italy. The authority will also oversee the operation of all newly-licensed online gambling operators in the country.
The government has also put up several security measures to ensure that individuals cannot gamble at unlicensed casinos. This protects players from falling prey to illegal online gambling operators, who are likely to cheat them out of their money.
