In our country, gambling is considered legal as long as it is offered by operators, physical or virtual, with a regular license. According to the data reported by Statista, the world’s leading platform in market research, in 2020 Italians often have a total of approx. 88 billion euros in gambling In the same year, the relative GGR – acronym that stands for Gross Gaming Revenue – or the gross expense net of the winnings, was around 13 billion euros.
The economy of the game in Italy: an overview
Online card games, including poker, have significantly contributed to the growth of the Lord’s income. Overall, between January and December 2020, the cash game reached a GGR of 83 million euros.
On the basis of these numbers, the Italian government collects important figures from gambling in terms of revenue. In 2020, the most recent year in which certain data can be analyzed, approximately 7 billion euros were paid to the state coffers in the form of taxes from gambling activities. Lombardy, Lazio and Campania sono state, in descending order, the region that they spent more. The amount played in the largest region of Northern Italy amounted to 7.2 billion euros in 2020.
The overall gross income of this sector has increased significantly since online casinos made their first appearance on the market. The possibility to play always and everywhere has intrigued an ever greater number of players, bringing them closer to typical products such as slot machines and poker tables.
The rise of online gambling in Italy
In Italy it is possible to gamble on the sites of operators certified by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), which at one time was called the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (AAMS). The body, directly dependent on the Ministry of the Economy, has the task of monitoring gambling activities, ensuring that they are carried out in full compliance with current regulations and for the benefit of the security of users.
Those who use the authorized platforms have the guarantee of play on your legal site and reliable, that adhere to the principle of responsible, clean and regular play without running the risk of incurring fraud at the hands of dishonest and irregular operators. The ADM, in addition, verifies that the RTP (in English, the “Return to Player”) of virtual game cases – i.e. the return to the player offered by a specific game – does not go below a certain value . In a few simple words, if the RTP of a game is 97%, it means that, every 100 euros bet, only 3 will go to the operator, while the remaining 97 will contribute to the prize pool.
The spread of legal casinos and poker rooms has therefore positively influenced the reputation of the entire sector. And this is a determining factor for the success that the online game has achieved and continues to achieve in our country.
If you look at the poker market trend for example. Between 2016 and 2021, its Cagr (Compound annual growth rate, which we can translate into Tasso di creccia annuale composto) is increased at a rate of 3% on an annual basis. Growth does not only concern expert players who already know the game and participate in major poker tournaments, but also new players who want to learn from scratch.
And improve online poker site I offer today the possibility to test your own skills and knowledge even if you are approaching the world of card games for the first time. Some even provide a complete guide to poker rules, ideal for familiarizing with the fundamental concepts of hand value, game strategy, game mode (tournament vs cash game) and poker variants. After this, the leader site of the online game offers the possibility of testing with innovative games, such as Poker Blast, or traditional ones, such as classic poker. The only imperative for those who want to approach the online game is a detailed knowledge of the rules, which fortunately this operator makes available completely free of charge. Once you learn, you will need to practice one of the games offered, which are international tournaments with players from all over the world or locally, and if you are in doubt, you can always consult the rules of poker on their site and play your favorite game .
Among these, the most widespread is without a doubt the Texas Hold’em, noto anche come poker alla texana. We can easily say that if it is the most widespread and practiced variant in assoluto, in which the winner is the one who is able to compose the best hand of 5 cards possible by combining the 2 personal cards (this is also a hole card or pocket card) received at the beginning of the game with the 5 uncovered card (or community card) that the dealer has distributed on the table during 3 successive turns (the flop, the turn and the river).
The great popularity of Texas Hold’em
The reason why Texan poker has become very popular in a short time is explained. First of all, if it is a con game few and simple rules, che therefore può essere praticato even dai giocatori alle prime armi. It is therefore sufficient to know the fundamentals to start playing, have fun and have the opportunity to participate even in the first tournament. The game mode also lends itself very well to direct television or streaming, with the possibility of spying on the cover card thanks to special cameras positioned under the table or behind the players, and enjoying exciting challenges with chips.
Once you hone your skills in one game variant, it is always possible to switch to another and try other game types to become a complete player and test yourself again. Among the most popular and famous specialties are the Omaha Hi and the Omaha Hi Lo, the 7-Card Stud, the 2-7 Triple Draw, the HORSE and many others.
The game market in Europe
As you can see, Italy confirms itself as an interesting market for gambling in Europe. But there are also other countries that have legalized gambling favoring its diffusion among the general public. If it is stored in the GGR, il United Kingdom It is the nation with the highest gambling revenue in the Old Continent (source: Statista). Italy is next in the ranking, followed by Germany, France and Spain. In total, the European gaming market reached a turnover of 81.1 billion euros in 2020. According to sector analysts, this figure could reach 126.3 billion euros by 2026.
Also in 2020, the revenue attributable to online gaming was equal to 30.5 billion euros. But even in this case, the amount is destined to go out in a consistent manner by 2026, reaching a total figure of 52 billion euros (equivalent to a market share of 20.4%, an increase of about 6 percentage points compared to 2020).
Conclusion
And more or less expert players from all over the world love to spend time with poker and other casino games. In Italy, the gambling industry (online and offline) continues to grow significantly, proving to be one of the most lively and dynamic sectors in the entertainment field.
The market will continue to grow, in our country as in the rest of Europe, thanks also to the possibility of always and everywhere accessing the virtual game sale and the diffusion of the legal game, authorized by the competent authorities of the various States.
