Italy has become a very attractive market for online casinos in the wake of the European Court of Justice's verdict which allowed several online casino operators into Italy. This comes after US legislation has made it neigh impossible for online casinos to operate and market their services to US citizens. The collapse of the US online casino market has left many operators with a huge gap in their revenues.

With some €61 billion to be made in the Italian market, it is no surprise that the online casino industry is buzzing. Italy is taking steps towards freeing up the gambling market. The government of Italy have drastically increased the number of licenses issued to gambling operators with an expectant eye on their empty state coffers. Giant companies like Intralot, Ladbrokes, Betfair, William Hill, and Gala/Eurobet are but a few of the new operators in Italy.

Online casinos and sport betting operators are spending an ever increasing amount of their advertising money in Italy but they will definitely have their work cut out for them. Operating in the Italian market is not as simple as it seems. There is a large number of bureaucratic institutes involved, legal issues are sometimes as clear as mud and they change very frequently. Any online casino wanting to operate in Italy will have to take cognisance of the fact that this is not a quick buck. Detailed analysis with particular focus on the prevailing tax laws, is required to ascertain the entry strategy. It may be well advised for those companies with unlimited resources to wait out the current confusion and when the rush is over, they may well be able to buy licenses and even an entire business in Italy without the initial hassles.