Italian officials have put an end to two unlawful betting facilities in Sicily as the result of a collaborative law enforcement effort from the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) and the Guardia di Finanza (GdF).
The initiative led to the issuance of fines over 20,000 euros and confiscation of equipment used for betting without permission.
14 gambling establishments and betting companies in Agrigento province were checked during this operation, including those located in Porto Empedocle, Favara, Raffadali, Palma di Montechiaro, Campobello di Licata, Ribera and Pelagie Islands.
As the result of the operation, it was revealed that there were two facilities that worked as unlicensed betting collection centres. In one of the licensing establishments located in Porto Empedocle, police confiscated a pair of devices that had not been connected to the national gambling network but lacked registration code numbers.
According to authorities, the terminals bypassed the official system used to record bets, allowing operators to avoid the country’s single national gaming levy (PREU).
The enforcement action comes as Italy continues to debate broader gambling reforms. Industry representatives have recently warned that repeated extensions of national gambling concessions have slowed regulatory reform and created uncertainty for licensed operators.
ADM and the Guardia di Finanza said investigations remain ongoing and confirmed they will continue targeting illegal gambling operations to protect consumers, prevent tax evasion and combat criminal activity within the sector.