A Look At The Poker Laws In Italy

The marriage between Italy and gambling has existed since the days of the Roman Empire. This entertaining activity appeared when the predecessor of the game called ‘Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum’ (game of the twelve lines) won the heart of the Roman legionnaires and since, gambling games have become part of the Italian’s lifestyle.

The gambling’s popularity there is also due to other games appearing in European countries. When it comes to gambling games, poker is among the most played in both Italian land-based and internet casinos. The gambling in Italy is regulated by AAMS, a powerful entity there that also provides licences to the operators.

The regulation is separated into two distinct parts; the gambling games that rely on pure luck and those involving skills. The poker game is one of the skill casino games that have seduced the Italian players. Here are the laws related to the poker game in this state.

The AAMS and its’ Responsibilities

The AAMS has the power to issue licences and regulate the gambling operators in Italy including the poker game. This regulator body is mainly recognized for its stricter laws regarding the gambling field there. In fact, in 2006, this country changed its gambling laws to be less restrictive in which the games involving skills are no longer illegal and the games of pure luck have also become absolutely controlled.

The revision of Italy’s gambling regulation was initiated by the European Union’s requirements as the latter demanded the country to enforce its laws in terms of the gambling industry. As a result, thousands of licences were issued to the casino operators including sites at NonAAMS there whether land-based or internet-based companies.

Today, Italy has five brick and mortar casinos that are bundled with several popular casino games. As far as the poker game is concerned, 3 places are reputed to gather the poker fans there. Nonetheless, online poker is more popular and the residents are permitted to access the regulated local online poker rooms.

The Evolution of the Italian’s Poker Regulations

The online poker regulation in Italy allows the players to play at their convenience and wherever they want. As a matter of fact, with the incredible growth of online poker sites there, the government decided to legalize the card games of skill.

This legalization defines that these games should be played in the form of a tournament in which the stakes should be equal to the championship’s entry fee. The Finance Act of 2007, actually, legalizes poker games and other games of skill and Italy is the first state to do so. Automatically, this regulation legalized the various poker variants including the Texas Hold’em but other games like video poker or games based on the same rules were forbidden since they are dependent entirely on pure luck.

Moreover, the new law to permit foreign gambling operators came into power in 2010 enabling gamblers to play online real-money games on the best sites outside the country. The adventure continued because the law that authorizes cash poker was established and came into effect in 2011. These new rules also extended to other games including sports betting.

Actually, this form of gambling has seduced the mainstream. In addition to this new regulation, the tax regime related to the poker game is based on profits rather than turnover. Apart from the video lottery games, the newly legalized games have to pay a flat rate of 20%.

As for the operators who organize sports and horse betting, skill games, and lotteries, a tax of 3% of total tournament buy-ins sold was to be applied to all of them.

Therefore, this new regulation does not only allow the Italian poker players to have a large choice with respect to options to choose from but it also promotes the reputation of online poker games.

Poker Game Relevant Legislation

As stated by Italian criminal law, there is a clear difference between the games of pure luck and those of skill. Sports betting, lotteries are considered to be legal and regulated gambling and gaming activities there. It is forbidden to organize gambling activities in a public place or a place that is open to the public, and a private club.

The AAMS is the only one that has the power of issuing licenses to gambling operators who want to operate in Italy. According to the laws there, the licences are supplied to any firm that is located in the European Economic Area. Nevertheless, as part of the bilateral deal with AAMS, the servers of online gambling activities providers can be located anywhere.

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