Bwin positions itself for the Italian market

There have been many articles recently about the changing legislation concerning online casino operations and gambling in general in the EU. The focus has now switched to Italy where it is expected that gaming will be deregulated before the end of the year. Laws passed should bring Italy in line with EU legislation which allows operators from other countries to operate in the Italian market. It is firmly expected that even before legislation has been passed that some consolidation will take place with larger companies buying up some of the smaller local operations to gain an instant foothold in the market. Party Gaming and 888 have already been in the news with possible deals and now it is the turn of Bwin who already mentioned their intention in their last quarterly report. Although no deal is yet finalized Bwin has confirmed that it is in the final stages of acquiring Gioco Digitale who claim to be Italy’s first independent online gaming site. The cost of the deal is subject to the usual speculation but is thought to be between €90 and €100 million. Gioco Digitale is best known for its online poker where it is believed to have 20% of the Italian market which could rise to 30% with the addition of Bwin. The combined group will be in a strong position to handle all forms of online gaming once the laws have changed. Bwin is not new to the Italian market and already has a sponsorship deal with AC Milan, one of the leading football clubs in the country, which includes the wearing of the Bwin logo on their shirts.