You’ve recently started wondering if online poker sites are legal in Italy , and more specifically you are wondering if there is a reliable list of the best online poker sites on the net. If you are wondering where I can find an online poker site directory where I can find an online poker site directory you are in the right place at the right time!
In the next few lines we will provide you with an overview of the whole topic, so you will have a clearer picture of how the Italian state manages this delicate matter. Enjoy the reading.
Where can I find a list of online poker sites
Let’s start with the list of sites: you must first know that only some of these portals have been authorized by the Italian government and are therefore in possession of a license that has been issued by the Customs and Monopoly Agency and therefore are legal in our country.
More generally, online gaming for profit in Italy has been legal since 18 July 2011, the date on which participation in gambling, roulettes, bingo, poker and betting was regularized. All regulated, supervised and controlled by the Customs and Monopoly Agency (ADM).
So playing legally in Italy on the Internet is possible . And it is no coincidence that the offer of online gaming sites has grown dramatically over the past 10 years. Not all of these platforms are legal though. In the list of sites that comply with all regulations we have, among others:
- it
- Snai
- Poker Stars
- bwin
- Digital Game
- Eurobet
- Betfair
Here, with these portals you will be on the safe side, since they have been approved by the ADM itself. But how can you avoid ending up in illegal and potentially dangerous sites? Below we give you some good tips to avoid running into unpleasant situations.
How to recognize illegal online poker sites
A little data could be useful to frame this constantly growing phenomenon even more: on the web there are hundreds of virtual casinos . In the first half of 2019 they grew by 12.7%, with an expenditure of around 325 million euros.
The sector has therefore been liberalized, and this obviously has brought benefits as well as various problems. ADM is focusing its attention above all on those subjects (both Italian and foreign) who do not always adapt their proposal to the high standards of Italian legislation on the subject.
A number makes you think: on the net there are almost 7 thousand portals dedicated to sports betting and casinos that have been blocked after ADM checks. Some of these did not have a regular license, others lacked technical solutions and still others did not provide all the information necessary to offer maximum transparency for users.
However, illegal sites grow like mushrooms , and it is good to have the right countermeasures in place to defend against their use. To recognize illegal gambling sites, we invite you to pay attention to certain parameters:
- The ADM logo and the one relating to legal and responsible gaming must always be present, as well as the link to the adm.gov.it portal and to the sections of the site relating to game modes and probability of winning
- The identification number of the concession you are working with must be reported clearly and legibly
- Link to official social channels that should be reported on the site, so that users can communicate with the portal
- The same goes for the data used to identify the company and its services to the public: the most important are the company name and the company register number / tax code.
On an illegal site, it is almost certain that you will find yourself in a forest of exaggerated advertising, and for two years now there has been an advertising ban applied to these sites. Legal sites also prevent minors from accessing: if a minor can therefore enter a site of this type, then it means that this is illegal.
In addition to this, the legal gaming sites set a total expense for each individual player and verify the ownership and origin of the payment cards. All this also to avoid ludopathy , or the obsession with compulsive gambling.
Conclusions
The barriers that we wanted to indicate to you so as to protect you from sites that base their activity on the offense are also used if the State fails to obscure them. And it doesn’t always succeed, especially if the site in question has its registered office in a tax haven and the servers in some state with which Italy has no judicial cooperation.
All that remains is to rely on the efficiency of the controls by the government authorities and our common sense. Information and awareness of certain issues in this case really represent the best weapons at our disposal to avoid browsing potentially dangerous sites, as well as illegal.
However, the sites listed in the first paragraph of this article are absolutely legal and comply with all state directives.
