Gambling in Italy

Although admission to the gambling house was free, only rich people could afford to play there, because the stakes were high.

[5] According to Italian criminal law, gambling is illegal, be it organized in a public place or a private club.

The main reason why the Italian government has adhered to strict rules has been the desire to avoid the possible negative effects associated with the industry.

Operators organizing sports and horse betting, lotteries, and skill games still had to pay 3% of total tournament buy-ins sold.

The reason for such action was very stringent Italian legislation prohibiting even legitimate European gambling operators from offering their online services in Italy.

Since the Italian authorities didn't notify the EC about this list, the country violated EU Directive 98/34/EC (on provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations).

According to this law, organising a game of chance in a public place or a private club was forbidden and could result in imprisonment and monetary sanction.

[11] After the EC brought infringement proceedings against Italy, in 2009, Italian authorities notified the Commission of amendments made to the gambling law.

[12] Since March 2010, when the new law came into power, foreign gambling operators have been able to launch online real-money games.

The smorfia is a traditional method to pick numbers based on dreams, news events, or recommendations of "gifted" people.