Italy Runs 800 Illegal Gambling Checks, Fines Reach €5.7M

Italy’s CoPReGI concluded 797 inspections across 32 provinces between April 7 and 19, 2026. The ADM led the operation alongside the State Police, Carabinieri, and Guardia di Finanza. It produced 128 illegal device seizures, €5.71 million in administrative fines, and 57 criminal referrals to judicial authorities.

Of the 797 interventions, 777 targeted licensed establishments. The remaining 20 hit unauthorized betting collection points identified during the campaign. In total, inspectors seized 116 illegal gaming machines and 12 totems, and issued 309 administrative violation notices.

Enforcement Metrics Sharply Up Year-on-Year

Every key indicator rose compared to 2025. Inspections climbed from 618 to 797, administrative violations from 231 to 309 (+33.8%), and criminal referrals from 46 to 57 (+23.9%). Total fines held roughly flat at €5.71 million, down marginally from €5.74 million in 2025. The figures point to an operation that widened in reach rather than increased its financial yield per case.

For those results, CoPReGI credited deeper inter-agency coordination and data-driven site selection. Inspectors relied on preventive analysis of gambling transaction flows and integrated law enforcement databases to concentrate activity in the highest-risk areas. The committee stated that all gambling must take place exclusively through authorized, traceable channels, with protection of minors cited as a central operational priority.

Broader Policy Context

The April crackdown fits a wider national enforcement push. Italy’s 2026-2028 Fiscal Guidance Act, presented by Economy Minister Giorgetti, explicitly targets fraud and tax evasion in the gambling sector alongside customs and excise enforcement. The ADM has also launched a three-year, €18.5 million investment programme to upgrade oversight infrastructure across both land-based and online networks.

Land-based concession tenders have not yet been awarded, and the ADM has a proposed update to the online gambling framework still under review. Before either process advances, Italy appears intent on a harder enforcement baseline.

TGJ Take

The 33.8% jump in administrative violations is what licensed operators in Italy should note. Compliance gaps that escaped scrutiny in prior years are now caught at both authorized venues and illegal betting points. Operators near flagged locations or with irregular device documentation carry elevated inspection risk. With the €18.5M surveillance upgrade now launched and concession tenders still ahead, Italy is set to enforce hard before it decides who operates at scale.