Italy’s online poker market still searching for bottom

Italy‘s online sports betting and casino sites continued their upward trajectory in February, while online poker continues to provide irrefutable proof that gravity works.

According to figures compiled by Italy’s Agimeg.it gaming news agency, online sports betting turnover topped €432m last month, while land-based wagers were well back at €394m. The combined total of €828m was 30% higher than the same month last year and 7% more than January’s €775m.

As ever, Bet365 ruled the betting roost with €143.3m, just under one-third of total online handle. The rest of the top-five were unchanged from January, led by Ladbrokes-Coral’s Eurobet brand (€41m), Sisal (€31.4m), Snai (€30.7m) and William Hill (€25.5m).

The online casino vertical also enjoyed stellar growth in February, with revenue rising nearly 25% to €41.1m. Here too, the operator rankings were unchanged from January, with Lottomatica out front with a 10.7% share of the total, followed by Sisal (8.6%), Amaya Gaming’s PokerStars (8.3%), Bwin (6.4%) and Snai (6.1%).