Betting Tax, How Much It Is and What Has Changed in 2025

The rules that regulate taxation on betting have been modified by the 2025 Budget Law. The taxes that revolve around any winnings are regulated by complex rules, which involve intermediaries in the sector, managers and various operators across the board. Through the latest Budget, new rates and new tax obligations have been introduced, which impact in particular on operators in the sector.

The regulation will impact all types of bets and betting competitions that are managed in Italy, regardless of where the operator's headquarters are located (which may also be abroad). The aim of the new regulation is to carefully control every type of activity and prevent any criminal infiltration into the game.

What is the betting tax?

How does the betting tax work and what does it consist of? To put it in a nutshell, it is a direct tax that weighs directly on the subjects who manage the betting activity , even when the activity is carried out under concession. From a fiscal point of view, it is a substitute tax , through which the taxes that should be paid normally are replaced, including those towards Coni and Unire.

We are faced with a direct tax, which has been harmonized at European level. Those who take charge of this burden are mainly those who carry out the organizational activity, the organizational activity and the exercise of betting and forecasting competitions for which a reward of any kind is provided.

To calculate the tax, a taxable base is taken into account that must be calculated on the performance and service that are offered . It is not calculated on the amount of the single game. We are making a very important distinction, which constitutes one of the key principles on which one can understand how the tax is calculated and which elements must be taken into consideration for its determination.

It is important to point out that the law officially defines betting as an activity subject to public authorization . And, above all, it emphasizes the public interest in regulating the sector. The tax has a dual interest: that of guaranteeing revenue and has a control function , aimed at guaranteeing the legality of the various operations.

The tax regime introduced in 2025 for betting

There are essentially two types of bets:

• fixed odds : the winnings to be collected are fixed at the time the bet is placed. The amount that is won, in other words, is determined by the ratio between the amount played and the odds offered;
• Totalizer : the amount that the player collects in the event of a win is not predetermined at the time the bet is made. This particular category of game is characterized by the presence of a prize pool that is determined by a predetermined percentage of the collection, which is divided among the players who have achieved the wins.

The 2019 Budget Law has established differentiated rates based on the type of activity carried out, which can be summarised as follows:

• remote skill games with cash prizes and online bingo : the tax rate is equal to 25% of the sums that are not returned to the player as foreseen by the game rules;
• fixed-odds bets , with the sole exception of horse racing: the tax rate is 20% on physical networks and 24% for remote collection, such as when it occurs online. In this case, the rate must be applied to the difference between the amounts wagered and the winnings that were actually paid out;
• bets on simulated events are taxed at 22% of the collection, also in this case, net of the sums returned for winnings. This category also includes virtual bets, through which sporting events or any other type are simulated.

The most important innovation that has been introduced through the 2025 Budget Law is a 0.5% tax on the revenues of betting companies, the purpose of which is to finance the renovation of football stadiums in Italy.

How are winnings taxed for players?

Betting for agencies authorized by the Customs and Monopolies Agency does not lead to any type of taxation in the event that the player wins. The sums are paid in full: no type of tax withholding is made. Taxes are borne exclusively by the managers of the activity.

The situation starts to be slightly different in the case in which the winnings have been centered through online gaming platforms that are not based in Italy and are not authorized by the ADM. The player who falls into this situation must declare the winnings in the Modello Redditi Pf among the various incomes , paying the related taxes.

Crucial information to be able to correctly fulfill your tax obligations is to be able to distinguish which platforms are authorized from those that are not. The authorized ones are transparent from a fiscal point of view: the operator pays the various taxes. The unauthorized ones transfer these burdens to the players.

How any payments should be made

An important point for the player is to understand what the tax base is on which to calculate the tax to be paid. This is essentially constituted by the amount of the sum that is paid to the competitor, net of any fixed rights and compensations that are due to the receivers. As regards bets, however, the tax base is constituted by the amount of the sum wagered for each bet that is made.

To make the payment, you must use a F24 Excise Form and you must use the tax codes that have been established directly by the Revenue Agency (they can be retrieved at this link ). The terms within which the payments must be made follow the normal tax deadlines: in most cases they have a monthly deadline, but it is necessary to check on a case-by-case basis.