Italian casino market grows 9% in 2014
Licensed online casinos post annual GGR of 258m as December records best monthly figures of the year
Italy’s regulated online casino market enjoyed a second consecutive year of growth with the country’s operators posting a 14% rise in gross gaming revenues (GGR) during 2014.
According to figures seen by eGaming Review, total GGR for the 12 months ended 31 December amounted to 258m, an increase on the 236m posted across the previous 12 months.
The market finished the year in positive fashion as December posted the best monthly return of the year with GGR of 25.8m, eclipsing the previous high of 23.3m recorded in November.
The majority of market growth came in H2, with the six-month period having amassed GGR of 134m, 8% more than the 124m posted in H1 and 12% up on the same period in 2013.
The country’s regulator previously attributed an improvement in H2 figures to its efforts in trying to reduce the number of Italian players using unregulated sites with a number of major gaming suppliers agreeing to halt the supply of games to unlicensed operators by the close of 2014.
Playtech cut off the supply of its games to unlicensed operators in June, which at the time the regulator said played a major factor in July posting a near 20% year-on-year increase in GGR.
According to gaming lawyer and DLA Piper partner Giulio Corragio, the market has definitely been boosted by the reduced supply to the unregulated market with further growth expected in 2015.
“The growth of casino games is certainly due to the casino games supplier to stop offering their games to dot.com operators targeting Italian players,” Corragio said.
“Indeed, players that were accustomed to a specific type of casino game found themselves in the situation of being obliged to switch to Italian licensed platforms,” he added.
The results ensure online casino maintained its position as the country’s biggest vertical by GGR. Poker in the country has endured a period of decline while sports betting GGR amounted to 214m in 2014.
Last week eGR reported Italy’s online sports betting stakes had increased by 23% from 1.3bn in 2013 to 1.6bn in 2014.