Italians are spending more and more money gambling. The closures enforced by the Covid emergency are a distant memory. The collection of bets minus the winnings collected by players reveals an in-game expenditure of more than €20.3 billion, up 31.56% from 15.4 billion in 2021. The reopening of gaming outlets following the Covid emergency has resulted in a 43.17% increase in income in the physical industry compared to the previous year, with more than 136 billion euros played in scratch cards, lotteries, slots, and online. A total of 136 billion were returned to participants as winnings in 2022, representing an increase of 27% from 2021's 115.7 billion. The tax authorities also celebrate victory, assuring 11.2 billion for the treasury vs 8.4 billion in 2021, or a 33.4 percent increase. Lombardy is the first region to spend in the gaming business in 2022. Lombards spent €3.1 billion in one year, up from €2.3 billion in 2021, outpacing Campania at €1.8 billion (€1.2 billion in 2021) and Lazio at €1.6 billion (more than €400 million in a year). Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Sicily, Puglia, Piedmont, and Tuscany are the six other areas that spend more than one billion euros each year.
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