Our Blog

Italy runs one of the most tightly policed online gambling markets in Europe, and the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli sits at the centre of it. Every operator that wants to accept real-money bets from Italian residents needs an ADM concession, and every operator that lacks one ends up on the agency’s blacklist of blocked domains. Knowing how to read that list, and how to cross-check it against the concession register, is the difference between playing on a licensed platform and sending money to a site the Italian state has ordered internet providers to block.

This guide sets out a repeatable procedure. It starts with what the blacklist actually is and how it differs from the GAD register of authorised concessionaires, then moves to the step-by-step check: locating the official ADM resources, searching by operator name and by domain, and confirming the concession number against the register. From there it covers the signals that separate a genuine licensed brand from a lookalike domain, and finally applies the whole method to a concrete case, the Netwin welcome bonus, so that a codice promozionale Netwin or any other promotional code can be claimed only after the operator’s status has been confirmed rather than assumed.

The thesis is simple. Absence from the blacklist proves nothing on its own. A domain that is not blocked may still be unauthorised, unlicensed, or a clone of a legitimate brand, and the only reliable test is a positive match in the ADM concession register combined with a check of the licence number displayed on the site itself. The sections below show how to run that test in a few minutes, with the specific fields to look at and the traps that catch players who stop at the first search result.

What the ADM Blacklist Is and Why It Matters for Italian Players

The Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) publishes and maintains a list of websites that offer gambling to Italian players without authorization. This is the blacklist. It is not a marketing tool or a rating system. It is an enforcement instrument, and inclusion on it triggers a technical block: Italian internet service providers are instructed to make the listed domains unreachable from national connections.

The legal basis sits in the Italian gambling framework, specifically the rules introduced by the Balduzzi decree and later consolidated in the 2018 restructuring of gaming law. ADM is the regulator that grants concessions, and it also holds the power to order the seizure of unauthorized betting and gaming operations. When a domain appears on the blacklist, it means ADM has assessed that the operator is offering gambling without a valid concession, or is operating in breach of the conditions attached to one. The list is updated periodically and identifies domains, not companies, which matters because the same operator can surface under several addresses.

Players should understand what is at stake before they dismiss the list as bureaucratic noise. An unauthorized site has no obligation to hold player funds in segregated accounts, no requirement to submit payout terms to ADM scrutiny, and no ADM-supervised dispute mechanism. If the operator refuses a withdrawal or closes an account, the player has no route through the regulator. There is also a practical money problem: unauthorized operators typically lack a legal basis to process payments through Italian channels, so deposits and withdrawals move through intermediaries with their own risks. Tax treatment of winnings is another point of divergence, since the ADM regime applies specific withholding rules that an unlicensed site does not apply.

The distinction between the blacklist and the GAD concession register trips up a lot of players. The blacklist is a negative list: names that are blocked. The GAD register is a positive list: operators holding a valid concession for remote gambling, each with a concession number and a named concessionaire. Being absent from the blacklist does not mean an operator is authorized. A new domain can operate for weeks before ADM adds it, and a site can simply not appear on either list. The only affirmative proof of legitimacy is presence in the GAD register with a verifiable concession number.

Take a concrete case. Netwin is operated by Netwin Italia S.p.A. Società Unipersonale and holds ADM GAD concession number 16035. That number, not the absence of a block, is what establishes the operator’s position. Netwin belongs to RB Holding, which has its headquarters in Sant’Agata sul Santerno, so the corporate chain can be checked against the concessionaire name in the register. This is the pattern to apply to any brand: find the concessionaire, find the number, confirm the match.

One more nuance: a blocked domain and a domain without a concession are not the same finding. The first is an active enforcement decision. The second may be a mirror site, a clone, or an operator that never sought authorization. Both carry risk for the player, but only the first carries a formal ADM determination that can be cited. Section two walks through the verification procedure step by step.

How to Verify a Casino Against the ADM Blacklist and Concession Register

The verification takes about five minutes and follows a fixed order: first the blacklist, then the concession register, then the domain itself. Skipping any of the three steps leaves a gap that an unauthorized operator can exploit. Work through them in sequence and record what you find, especially the date of the check, because ADM updates its lists and concessions can be revoked.

Step by step: from the ADM list to the concession number

Step 1: Locate the official ADM list. The blacklist is published on the ADM website (adm.gov.it) under the gambling section, in the area dedicated to the reorder of gaming. Do not rely on third-party mirror sites, forum screenshots, or aggregator pages that claim to reproduce the list. These copies are often outdated and sometimes edited. The official page also publishes the register of GAD concession holders, which is the second document you need.

Step 2: Search by name and by domain. The blacklist is organized by operator name and by domain, so run both queries. Search the brand as it appears in the footer of the site, then the exact domain, including subdomains. Watch for near-miss spellings: an operator blocked as “example-casino.com” may reappear as “examplecasino.net” or with an extra hyphen. If the brand name appears but the domain does not, as can happen with entries such as https://casino-netwin.it/codice-promozionale/, treat the site as unverified until the concession check resolves it.

Step 3: Cross-check the GAD concession number. Every authorized operator displays a concession number, typically in the format GAD followed by digits, in the site footer or the legal notes. Take that number and confirm it in the ADM concession register, matching the legal entity name, not just the brand. The entity behind the brand must be the one named in the register. If the footer shows a number that does not exist in the register, or names a different company, the site is not authorized regardless of how it looks.

Step 4: Confirm the domain against the concession. The register lists the domains operated under each concession. A valid concession number displayed on a domain that is not associated with it is a common cloning pattern: the number is real, the site is not. Compare the exact domain, not the brand.

The most common mistake is treating the blacklist as a whitelist. Absence from the blacklist means only that ADM has not blocked that name or domain. A site can be missing from the blacklist and still operate without a concession, particularly if it is new, if it targets Italian players from abroad, or if it has changed domains recently. Only the concession register establishes authorization, and only a domain-level match confirms that the site in front of you is covered by it.

Repeat the check before any deposit, and again if the domain in your address bar changes. Save the concession number and the register entry you found; if a dispute arises later, that record is what you will need to file a complaint with ADM.

Reading the Signs: Concession Numbers, Domains, and Blocking Notices

A GAD concession number is the first thing to read carefully once a search returns a result. Authorized operators carry a number issued by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, and the number is not decorative: it ties the brand to a specific legal entity, a specific licence, and a specific set of obligations. Format matters. A genuine concession appears as a numeric code of five or more digits, often preceded by “GAD” or by the word “concessione”, and it should be displayed in the footer, the terms and conditions, or the legal notice page, not buried in a promotional banner. If a site shows a number with letters mixed in, a number that changes between pages, or a number so short it cannot plausibly match the ADM register, treat it as unverified until you find the same code on the official register. The concession belongs to a company, so cross-check the company name as well: the domain may say one thing, the licence holder another.

Domain mimicry is the second signal. Blocked operators routinely clone the look of authorized brands and shift a single character in the address, swap a hyphen for a dot, add a country suffix, or append words like “official”, “italia” or “login” to a familiar name. Some run parallel domains on different extensions and redirect traffic between them. A practical test is to type the address manually rather than following a link from an email, a social post or an affiliate page, and to compare the domain in the browser bar with the domain printed in the operator’s own terms. If the terms page names a different domain from the one you are on, you are probably on a mirror. Mirror sites rarely carry a valid concession, because the concession is granted to the operator, not to the copy.

Then comes the distinction that trips up most players: a site listed as blocked is not the same as a site that simply lacks a concession. A blocking notice means the ADM has identified the operator as unauthorized and has ordered internet service providers to restrict access from Italian connections. The site may still resolve on a foreign connection, may still take deposits, and may still advertise. A site with no concession and no blocking order is often a newer or smaller operation that has not yet been processed, or one that targets Italian speakers from outside the regulated market without ever appearing on the list. Both categories are unsafe for the same reason: no ADM oversight, no guaranteed payout mechanism, no access to Italian dispute procedures. Absence from the blacklist is therefore a neutral finding, not a clean bill of health. Only a matching concession number on the official register moves an operator into the authorized column.

One more check is worth the thirty seconds. Authorized Italian operators publish terms and conditions that reference the concession, the deposit limits, the self-exclusion tools and the ADM dispute route. Blocked or unlicensed sites tend to publish thin terms, omit the licence holder, or copy generic text that mentions no regulator at all. When the concession number, the domain and the terms page all point to the same licensed entity, the verification is complete. When any one of them disagrees, stop and treat the site as unverified regardless of how polished it looks.

Applying the Check to Bonuses Like the Netwin Welcome Bonus

A welcome offer is the easiest place for a fake site to hide, because the promise of free money pushes players past the checks they would normally run. The Netwin welcome bonus is a useful case study: apply the same ADM verification steps before you type a codice promozionale Netwin anywhere, and the offer becomes a test of whether the operator behind it is real.

Start with the entity, not the code. Netwin is operated by Netwin Italia S.p.A. Società Unipersonale, which holds ADM GAD concession number 16035. The company belongs to RB Holding, headquartered in Sant’Agata sul Selvino. Those details are verifiable: search the operator name and the number 16035 in the ADM concession register, and check that the domain showing the promo matches the domain listed against that concession. If a page advertises a Netwin promo code but the concession number is missing, different, or belongs to another company, stop there.

Then read the promotion itself. The WELCOME2026 code activates a 100% first deposit bonus up to 500 euros, requires a minimum deposit of 20 euros, and carries a wagering requirement of 45x the bonus value that must be completed within 3 days. A legitimate Netwin bonus benvenuto page states these numbers openly, because the promotional code identifies the welcome campaign and the terms are part of the ADM concession obligations. A page that hides the wagering requirement, quotes a different multiplier, or omits the 3-day window is either outdated or not the real campaign.

Run this checklist before claiming any Netwin promo code:

• Confirm the ADM GAD concession number 16035 appears on the site and matches the register entry for Netwin Italia S.p.A.
• Check the domain character by character against the official one; lookalike domains with extra hyphens, different endings, or swapped letters are the standard trick.
• Read the full termini e condizioni for the first deposit: minimum 20 euros, 45x wagering on the bonus, 3-day completion, and any game restrictions.
• Verify that registration creates a conto gioco tied to that concession, with a prelievo process that returns funds to a verified account in your name.
• Search the ADM blacklist for the domain before depositing; if it appears, close the page regardless of how good the voucher looks.

The mechanics of the bonus also tell you something. The Real Bonus must be wagered again before withdrawal, which means the saldo you see after the first deposit is not withdrawable cash. Any site presenting the bonus as instantly cashable, or offering to waive the requisito di puntata for a fee, is describing something no ADM-licensed operator can legally do. Treat that as a blacklist signal even if the brand name looks familiar.

If a Netwin promo appears on an unverified or blacklisted site, do not deposit to “test” it. Screenshot the page, note the domain and the payment details, and report it through the ADM channels for unauthorized gambling. Then go back to the register, find the authorized domain, and claim the offer there or not at all. The same discipline applies to every codice sconto and promozione di benvenuto you meet: the concession number comes first, the code second, and gioco responsabile means walking away when the two do not line up.

Run the check before you deposit, not after. Open the ADM blacklist and the GAD concession register in two tabs, search the exact domain you are about to use, then confirm the concession number on the operator’s homepage matches the register entry. If a single element fails, close the tab. That five-minute routine protects every bonus you claim, including a codice promozionale Netwin or any other Netwin promo code you find advertised, because a Netwin welcome bonus is only worth something if the platform behind it holds a valid authorization and pays out without friction.

Keep a simple record as you go. Save a screenshot of the concession number, the date of the check, and the terms attached to the promotion, so if a dispute arises over a requisito di puntata or a blocked prelievo you have evidence of what was advertised when you registered. For reference, Netwin is operated by Netwin Italia S.p.A. Società Unipersonale, holds ADM GAD concession number 16035, and belongs to RB Holding, which has headquarters in Sant’Agata sul Selvatico… verify these details yourself against the official register rather than trusting any third-party page, including this one. Set a deposit limit on your conto gioco at signup, treat the saldo as entertainment money, and walk away from any voucher or codice sconto that appears on a domain you could not verify. The blacklist is a filter, not a guarantee, and the concession check is the step that closes the gap.