Online Casinos in Italy Break Revenue Record in January

The continent of Europe remains a key driver of global iGaming growth, with nations such as the UK, Spain (and more recently Sweden) leading this charge.

Italy is another behemoth of the online gambling market in Europe, with iGaming revenues here reaching an impressive €324.9 million in January 2022 amid significantly increased activity in the virtual casino vertical.

Of course, you only need to check out the best Italian online casinos on Truffa.net to understand why the country’s market is so buoyant. But what are the exact figures from January and what do they tell us about the market as a whole?

How Did Italy’s iGaming Market Fare in January?

Italy’s thriving iGaming market entered 2022 in fine fettle, after showcasing impressive annual growth of 46.1% during the previous 12 months.

This trend definitely continued at the beginning of the new year, with January seeing Italian iGaming revenues peak at an eight-month high of €324.9 million. What’s more, this is the fifth-highest figure ever recorded in a four-week period, and only 3.3% below the total recorded in January 2021 (when the market continued to rebound from Covid-19).

But what was behind this growth? Well, somewhat unsurprisingly, this impressive monthly growth was thanks largely to another record high in the online casino vertical.

One of the fastest growing segments in Italy’s iGaming space, online casino gaming generated €171.0 million in January, with this sum 5% higher than the corresponding figure from January 2021.

This also broke the record of €165.5 million that had previously been set in December 2021, highlighting the scale of the achievement and rapid ascent of the market during the two most recent financial quarters.

If we delve a little deeper, we see that the online casino GGY in January 2022 was more than double the figure recorded just two years’ previously. Clearly, this market is growing at a rapid pace, as online casino gameplay continues to claim a much larger share of the market as a whole.

What About Sports Betting and Poker in Italy?

While the remote betting sector may not have enjoyed the same level of growth in Italy, it managed to tick slightly month-on-month to €128.8 million.

Sure, this was significantly less than the €143.6 million recorded in January 2021, but sportsbooks will be pleased to have seen a nominal month-on-month increase ahead of a potential further uptick in demand.

Certainly, Italy’s Serie A is approaching a dramatic conclusion with four games to go, with Napoli joining both Milan sides in their quest for the title (these three teams are currently separated by just four points).

If we also add the retail betting sector into the mix, we see that total revenue reached €211 million in January. This was also up slightly when compared with December 2021, while year-on-year growth through the sector peaked at 46.9% thanks to the removal of Covid-inspired restrictions and retail closures.

When it comes to poker, revenues also increased month-on-month. More specifically, the vertical contributed €11.4 million in tournament yields and €7.5 through cash games, creating a significant boost for brands such as PokerStars who dominate the particular segment.

Of course, such totals were much lower than the peaks seen during 2020 and early 2021, but the vertical appears to have been positively impacted by the contagion impact of growth across alternative iGaming niches.

Which Operators are Driving Growth in Italy?

As you can imagine, some of the market’s biggest players and best online casino brands are contributing the most to the vertical’s growing GGY.

However, the numbers also demonstrate that it’s the competitive and mature nature of Italy’s online casino market that’s central to its growth, with a number of leading brands sharing similar market shares.

Top of the list is the online casino PokerStars, who continue to lead the way in online casino gameplay and the poker vertical with a total market share that’s a shade under 10%.

Next up is the top casino brand Snai (which is owned by Playtech), with a market share of 8.79%. Interestingly, Snai is currently subject to a bid from TTB Partners, and has been garnering a great deal of attention in the market as it continues to grow.

Then there’s Sisal, which PokerStars owner Flutter has already agreed to acquire. This is one of the most secure online casino sites around, while its market share of 7.93% puts it third in an incredibly competitive sector.

The recent growth and lack of a truly dominant operator augurs well for Italy’s iGaming market, particularly an online casino vertical that continues to go from strength and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.