Italian police said they found an alleged unauthorised betting operation inside a stationery shop in Acireale, Sicily. Officers seized betting receipts and other materials, and reported the shop owner for operating and intermediating bets without the required police licence.
The case signals enforcement against unlicensed betting activity and related cash handling in retail premises.
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Catania’s police commissioner ordered a betting centre to close for seven days after police checks found repeated attendance by people with criminal records, according to the Questura. The suspension applies to the centre’s authorisations and followed an administrative investigation into public-order concerns.
Italy’s State Police ordered a seven-day closure of a bar and betting centre in Catania under Article 100 of the public security law. Police said the venue had repeatedly hosted people with criminal records and that the measure followed checks by the local police commissioner’s office.
Police inspected four gaming venues in Catania’s San Cristoforo district during a coordinated operation, the report said. Checks found no irregularities in gaming machines, but officers fined a betting centre on Via Della Concordia for serving drinks in breach of sector rules. One gaming hall had previously been temporarily suspended by the local police chief because of the habitual presence of people with criminal records.
The Viterbo Review Court overturned the evidentiary seizure of materials from a betting shop in Blera under investigation for alleged unauthorised betting collection. The court’s 17 July 2025 order directed the return of the seized items; the defence said the shop was authorised under contracts with two online gambling concessionaires.
Carabinieri in Prato helped uncover six illegal gambling venues between 2 and 23 October, alongside financial police, local police and the Customs and Monopolies Agency. Authorities seized cash, equipment and premises; the reported cash seizures included more than €30,000 at one site.
Carabinieri in Prato contributed to identifying six illegal gambling venues over three weeks, between 2 and 23 October, according to a report of the operations. The checks were carried out with Guardia di Finanza, Polizia Locale, the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli and other units. Cash, equipment and premises used for illegal gambling were seized.