Online Casino Italy

Online Casino Italy
Gambling in Italy stretches back to ancient history. The Romans gambling, there was gambling during the Renaissance (the first proper casino opened in 1638) and the word “casino” itself is Italian. Gambling was eventually frowned upon until in 2011, the Italian Government passed laws making gambling totally legal if an Italian gambling license is held. Where does that legal online casino gaming in Italy, though? What online casino in Italy are there?

Online gambling laws in Italy
Online casino gaming is totally legal in Italy, provided the operator carries an Italian gambling license. Whilst there are numerous online casinos who have taken advantage of this opportunity, there are several major enterprises which have not pursued this avenue, on the basis the gambling is too costly.

A 20% tax on profits from casino gaming is by far the costliest tax Italian gambling authorities have implemented on operators (far more than 4.5% on sports, 3% on poker, and 11% on bingo and chance games). This means that Italian market is somewhat niched.

However, if Italian players can’t find what they are looking for at an online casinos italy or an official AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato) licensed casino, there are other options open to them, namely offshore casino sites.

Most major offshore casinos are open to accepting players based in Italy. In fact, they often go further. Not only do they accept players based in Italy, but they also offer the Italian language as an option, as well as the euro currency, and they aren’t shy about offering Italian customer support and banking options in a bid to lure Italians to play at offshore casinos.
In a manner of speaking, Italian players are spoilt for choice when it comes time to find somewhere to play their favourite online casino games. With casino gaming profits up 80% on previous years, proper and true, national-licensed Italian online casino sites could be the way to go, though, even though there is no punishment in place for Italians who decide to play at offshore casinos.

Banking options for Italian players
Italian players have their own favourite when it comes to depositing and withdrawing from online casinos. The PostePay deposit option can only be used by Italian players, and so is commonly offered at all Italian casinos and offshore casinos which accept those players.

As well as PostePay, Italian players are known to use many of the more commonly found payment methods and banking options which exist at other sites (such as offshore Italian casinos). These include VISA, MasterCard, e-wallets such as Skrill, Neteller and PayPal, prepaid cards such as Paysafecard, and even SMS and phone deposit options if they wish to play via their mobiles. It is worth noting that international bank transfers and wire transfers are also accepted at Italian online casino sites.
Italian online casinos almost always offer the euro currency option, offer reasonable withdrawal times, instant deposit times, and seldom charge a fee for transactions, unless you use wire transfers or cheques.

Italian online casino safety and security
As mentioned, the Italian Gambling Commission (Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato) issues its own gambling licenses to players. Now, provided you happen to be playing at an AAMS licensed casino, you needn’t worry about security and safety at all. These casinos are 100% legal and totally regulated by the Italian Gambling Commission and known to adhere to Italian gambling laws.

Of course, if you should choose to play at an offshore casino, there are a few things you may wish to keep in mind. For starters, you need to ensure that you play at an offshore casino which accepts Italian players, but more importantly, one which is licensed out of a respectable licensing jurisdiction – this means the UK, Gibraltar, Malta or another EU state. Curacao and Kahnawake are respectable jurisdictions, too, but we wouldn’t put too much thought into playing at a Costa Rican or Panamanian licensed casino, as they are amongst the least properly regulated offshore casinos out there on the net.

Mobile online casino gaming in Italy
Both Italian casino sites and offshore online casinos offering their services to Italian players can provide players in the country with access to mobile casino gaming. The array of games you can play at bona fide Italian online casinos is admittedly a tad less than you will find at offshore casino sites, although that is largely down to the fact that few Italian online casinos feature mobile software from as many developers as their offshore cousins.

Italian online casino games
Italian online offshore casinos try and ensure that games are available to play in Italian for players. Of course, when frequenting a genuine AAMS licensed casino, this will be a foregone conclusion, won’t it?
Players at Italian casinos typically tend to play table games more than slots, although there are still ample slot machines out there for them to try their hand at. Popular table games include roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and numerous table poker games. Of course, with Italian AAMS casinos charging hefty taxes on specific games, players may find the range of games to be found at these casinos limited. The same is not true of offshore casinos, which tend to have a broader arsenal of casino titles to offer Italian players.

Online casino bonuses for Italian players
Italian online casinos all carry bonuses. In Italy itself, the bonuses you can claim are usually somewhat limited. Players can expect to find welcome bonuses (which usually consist of matches against your total deposit) whilst redeposit deals and loyalty bonus programs are common, too.

Regular daily, weekly and monthly deals are not commonplace in Italian online casinos, although most major offshore casinos sites can sort Italian players out with these. It is important for Italian players to note that when playing at offshore casinos, they may not be entitled to claim every bonus going. Doing a quick scan of the terms and conditions of any bonus you intend to claim should tell you whether as an Italian player, you are eligible to claim said offers.