POKER PROBLEMS FOR ITALY
The state of Italian online poker has taken a severe downturn after industry figures suggested that revenue had dropped by more than 40 per cent since regulations were put in place.According to the Pokerfuse website, Italian state regulator, L’Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS), released an annual report which illustrated the decline. The figure in January was €41 million and since then revenues have fallen to around €23 million.Other figures painted a stark picture for the industry, with tournament revenue dropping 75 per cent since regulation. Cash games also are in decline, despite having proved a popular source of revenue when they were first introduced more than a year ago.
It’s thought the problems could centre around two separate issues: high taxes and lower player liquidity.
News taxes take money away from players who are becoming fewer in number with sites only permitting Italian players to sign up. This knock on effect is reduced prize pools and reduced the frequency of games.
Read the full article on the Pokerfuse website.