Flutter confirms Betfair withdrawal from Italy over exchange rules

Flutter Entertainment has confirmed that Betfair will leave the Italian market, with the company attributing the decision to recent regulatory changes that it says have made the Exchange product no longer commercially sustainable. The confirmation was given in an official statement to a specialist trade outlet on 25 October. No date has been set for the end of customer services, and the company has not indicated how customer accounts will be managed or closed.

A Flutter spokesperson said the regulatory changes had made Betfair Exchange no longer sustainable commercially, and that Flutter had therefore decided to end Betfair Sportsbook and Casino operations in Italy as well. The spokesperson said these activities represent a very limited share of the group's Italian revenue and that their closure will have no impact on its other brands or on group employees in the country. Flutter did not specify which regulatory provisions led to the loss of commercial sustainability for Exchange.

The Betfair affiliate programme in Italy is due to close on 31 October 2026. Partners were informed by letter citing clause 12.5 of the contractual terms and conditions. Affiliates must remove all promotional content aimed at Italian customers by 29 October. Commissions accrued during October will be processed and paid in November, which will be the programme's final payment cycle. Agreements covering other markets where Betfair continues to operate remain valid, and for affiliates active only in Italy the collaboration ends on 31 October.

The decision comes as the Italian online gambling market implements decreto legislativo 25 March 2024, n. 41, which introduced the new remote gambling concession regime. The reform provides for nine-year concessions at a fee of €7m each, along with new technical provisions for the various game types. For betting exchange, regulated in Italy as a fixed-odds remote bet with direct interaction between players, specific adjustments are required to technological systems and to connection arrangements with the central infrastructure of the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli.

An ADM determination of June 2026 set 13 November 2026 as the deadline for certification of systems under the new technical rules, and stated that the current ministerial discipline will continue to apply until the new sector decree takes effect. For betting exchange, connection to the central system is to be made through version 3.0 of the PSID protocol.

Betfair Exchange allows users to bet directly against each other, for or against a given outcome, with the operator taking a commission on net winnings; its operation depends on available liquidity and the number of active participants in individual markets. The brand introduced the product in the United Kingdom in 2000 and later brought it to the Italian regulated market. Flutter said the decision does not change its presence in Italy, where the group will continue to operate through Sisal, Snaitech and PokerStars.