ADM, the Customs and Monopolies Agency of Italy, has published a new action plan to tackle fraud, money laundering, and the criminal exposure of gambling.
The plan forms part of the “Activity and Organisation 2025 to 2027”, a mandate initiated as part of Budget 2025 that aims to update ADM’s investments, IT systems, and resources to combat criminal liabilities.
For the period 2025 to 2027, the agency has earmarked technology upgrades and policy changes to strengthen its monitoring of Italian gambling, a sector undergoing a structural overhaul under the “Reorganisation of Gambling Decree” – the government’s mandate to modernise Italy’s gambling laws.
Changes to IT systems are required as concerns have been raised about Italian gambling’s exposure to black market activities, which authorities estimate to be causing annual losses of €1bn in revenues.
The Reorganisation Decree has enabled ADM to consolidate safer gambling protections for customers across online platforms and land-based venues. As such, in 2025, ADM announced that it would double its compliance inspections on online and land-based licences to ensure that measures are effectively applied to maintain safer customer environments.
New IT system monitoring licences
ADM plans to introduce a new, advanced IT system to improve the technical and administrative infrastructure surrounding gambling licences. The system will aim to reduce delays in the payment of concession fees by ensuring that payments are completed within a 25-day period.
By streamlining the payment process, ADM hopes to minimise late payments and improve the overall efficiency of the licensing framework. The new IT system will also help standardise the submission and processing of licensing data, reducing administrative bottlenecks and enhancing transparency across the sector.
Improving data accuracy
Operators will be required to submit detailed ‘self-declarations’ outlining their compliance solutions and record-keeping practices for customer accounts. ADM will cross-reference this data to identify inaccuracies and detect potential vulnerabilities within the system.
By implementing enhanced data analysis, ADM aims to identify weak points in operator compliance more effectively, improving the accuracy and reliability of its monitoring systems. This will enable the agency to take more targeted action against non-compliant operators and reduce overall regulatory risk.
AI monitoring
A new system will leverage AI to automate key compliance and enforcement functions, reducing administrative delays and improving operational efficiency. AI will be used to monitor compliance with licensing requirements, detect patterns of fraudulent behaviour, and flag potential breaches more quickly – experts discussed using AI in this way at the Payment Expert Summit in Lisbon last year.
By automating these processes, ADM aims to reduce the reliance on manual inspections and streamline the regulatory process, allowing for faster and more effective enforcement actions.
AML partnerships
ADM will strengthen its anti-money laundering (AML) capabilities by introducing new technologies to monitor financial flows and detect suspicious transactions in real time. The agency will work closely with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Financial Police to improve the speed and accuracy of suspicious activity reporting.
The goal is to prevent the reinvestment of illicit proceeds into the gambling sector and disrupt any potential infiltration by organised crime. This will enhance the integrity of the Italian gambling market and align it more closely with EU-wide AML directives.
Italy to be best at regulating gambling
The two-year plan sets out a clear and ambitious roadmap for transforming Italy’s gambling sector over the next three years, in which ADM aims for Italian gambling to become Europe’s best and safest regulated marketplace.
