Pope Leo XIV used his annual audience with Italian mayors this week to renew the Vatican’s criticism of gambling, warning that the sector’s rapid growth is “ruin[ing] so many families” and pointing to official statistics showing a sharp rise in activity in recent years.
Speaking to leaders gathered for the National Association of Italian Local Authorities’ traditional Vatican meeting, the pontiff framed gambling as part of a wider set of social stresses that cities are now expected to manage, from marginality and violence to isolation, before singling out betting as a specific concern.
“Unfortunately, our cities know forms of marginality, violence and loneliness that require to be faced,” Pope Leo XIV said. “I would like to point out in particular the plague of gambling that ruins so many families. Statistics show a sharp increase in Italy in recent years.”
Caritas: growth in volumes, losses and a regional poverty warning
The Vatican remarks come as Caritas Italia and other civil-society stakeholders intensify scrutiny of how gambling spending is distributed across income groups and regions.
A recent Caritas analysis cited in Italian media describes a steep long-term rise in Italy’s gambling volumes, comparing total sector figures of €157 billion in 2024 with €35 billion in 2006. Over the same period, the analysis said tax receipts rose from €6 billion to €11 billion, an increase Caritas characterises as substantial but outpaced by overall sector growth.
Caritas also estimated €20 billion in player losses in 2024 and highlighted a regional pattern: 10 regions were above the national average for losses (cited as €493), including several in southern Italy and the islands, which the report associates with higher poverty risk.
In one of the report’s key conclusions, Caritas warned that harm can be regressive in practice:
“Gambling costs those who have less: not only because they lose more euros, but because those euros are worth more in the family budget,” the report said.
An important criticism of the industry for operators, suppliers, and local government
The Pope’s audience was with mayors, public officials who routinely deal with community-level fallout and can become vocal advocates for tighter controls on venues, enforcement intensity, and public-health messaging.
It also reinforces a shift in the debate toward who absorbs the social and financial costs highlighted by Caritas, especially in lower-income regions. And in a market already defined by strict advertising limits under the Dignity Decree, that kind of high-profile criticism can make compliance and brand positioning even less forgiving.
A tougher operating environment is already embedded in Italy’s online rule reset
In 2024, Italy published Legislative Decree No. 41/2024 outlining a new structure for online concessions, including a competitive award process, a maximum nine-year concession duration (with no renewal), and expanded requirements around technical capability, security, and responsible-gaming policies.
The same reform package also imposes a far higher financial barrier on online license holders: the decree cites a concession fee of €7,000,000.
And now, with the Vatican’s message, it is clear that the growth of heavy gambling has breached a fiscal or entertainment topic. It is increasingly becoming a community and family stability issue, and we’ll look to the actions of mayors, regulators, and licensed operators to address it in visible, practical ways.
Source: Vatican News