Pope Leo XIV has renewed the Vatican’s strong criticism of gambling, warning that the industry’s rapid expansion is causing serious harm to families and communities across Italy.
Speaking during his annual audience with Italian mayors, the pontiff framed gambling as one of several social challenges increasingly confronting cities.
He placed the issue alongside marginality, violence and loneliness, before singling out betting as a growing and specific threat.
“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.”
Rising volumes and social impact
The comments come amid intensified scrutiny from charities and civil-society groups examining how gambling growth affects different regions and income groups.
Caritas Italia has highlighted a dramatic rise in gambling volumes over the past two decades.
According to its analysis, total sector activity rose from €35 billion in 2006 to €157 billion in 2024.
Tax revenues also increased over that period, climbing from €6 billion to €11 billion.
Caritas notes that while this rise is substantial, it has not kept pace with the overall expansion of gambling activity.
The organisation also estimated player losses of €20 billion in 2024, underlining the scale of financial harm absorbed by households.
A regional warning
Caritas identified a regional pattern that adds to concerns about inequality.
Ten Italian regions recorded gambling losses above the national average, cited as €493 per person.
Several of those regions are located in southern Italy and the islands, areas already associated with higher poverty risk.
In one of its key conclusions, Caritas warned that gambling harm is 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.
Pressure on local leaders and industry
The Pope’s remarks were delivered directly to mayors, who often deal with the community-level consequences of gambling.
Local leaders frequently push for tighter controls on venues, stronger enforcement and clearer public-health messaging.
The Vatican’s intervention reinforces a debate increasingly focused on who bears the social and financial costs highlighted by charities.
For operators and suppliers, this environment adds pressure around compliance, messaging and corporate responsibility.
Italy’s market is already shaped by strict advertising limits under the Dignity Decree, narrowing room for promotional manoeuvre.
A tougher regulatory backdrop
In 2024, Italy introduced Legislative Decree No. 41/2024, reshaping the online gambling framework.
The reform established a competitive process for concessions with a maximum duration of nine years and no renewal option.
It also expanded requirements around technical capacity, security standards and responsible-gaming measures.
The financial threshold for operators increased sharply, with a concession fee set at €7,000,000.
Against this backdrop, the Vatican’s renewed criticism underscores how gambling is increasingly viewed as a community and family stability issue.
Attention is now turning to how mayors, regulators and licensed operators respond in practical and visible ways.