Key takeaways from the deal between GameArt and Casino di Venezia
Announcement: on 12 May 2026, GameArt launched a selection of premium slots on the official platform of Casino di Venezia.
Heritage: founded in 1638 as the Ridotto, Casino di Venezia presents itself as the oldest casino in the world still in operation.
History: the Ridotto closed in 1774, the City of Venice reopened a gaming house in 1936, moved into Ca' Vendramin Calergi in 1946 and opened Ca' Noghera in 1999.
Owner: the City of Venice, sole shareholder of the operating company Casinò di Venezia Gioco.
Results: €117.8 million in net takings in 2025, 767,727 visits and 60 new hires.
Concession: a nine-year online gaming concession, a strategic priority of the development plan.
Reform: since 13 November 2025, 52 concessions for 46 operators and a single gaming domain per concession holder.
Market: €3.2 billion spent at Italian online casinos in 2025, €306 million in September 2026.
Microgame: GameArt thanks the Italian provider and Emanuele Morante for their contribution to the deal.
Quote: Gašper Žun, GameArt's Chief Executive Officer, praises "a brand with deep roots".
Italy: present in the country since 2017, the studio exhibits at SiGMA World Rome 2026 from 3 to 5 November.
Casino di Venezia and GameArt: slots for the gaming house born in 1638
On 12 May 2026, GameArt announced that a selection of its premium slots had gone live on the official platform of Casino di Venezia. The Venetian gaming house, founded in 1638, presents itself as the oldest casino in the world still in operation. The studio is hardly stepping into unknown territory, though. Its reels have been spinning in Italy since 2017, the year Planetwin365 became the studio's first Italian operator and put them live. Venice, however, plays an entirely different tune.
Owned by the City, the lagoon's casino has placed a big bet on regulated online gambling. It secured a nine-year concession under Italy's reform, then began filling its digital shop window: provider WorldMatch in February 2026, GameArt three months later. Between the casino and the studio stands a discreet player, Microgame, which the press release thanks in black and white.
I've been combing through announcements like this since 2011, and most of them look as alike as two chips of the same colour. This one held my attention longer than the rest. A municipal institution staking its credibility online, a mid-sized studio courting concession holders, a thank-you addressed by name to an intermediary: put together, these three details say a lot about where the Italian market is heading.
What exactly does GameArt's announcement say?
In substance, the deal fits in a few lines. According to GameArt's press release, a selection of the studio's premium titles can now be played on Casino di Venezia's official site, presented as the online extension of the oldest operating casino in the world. The release adds that Italy continues to play a key role in the company's commercial roadmap.
Gašper Žun, GameArt's Chief Executive Officer, welcomed the launch in these words: "We're really pleased to be partnering with Casino di Venezia. It's a brand with deep roots, and seeing our games go live on their platform is an exciting moment for us. We're confident their players will connect with our titles and enjoy the experience they bring."
Deep roots: for once, the press release cliché hits the mark. Venice stands on millions of wooden piles driven into the lagoon mud, and its gaming house on nearly four centuries of masks, wagers and legends. For a studio founded in 2013, appearing alongside such a coat of arms is worth more than a good many advertising campaigns.
What role did Microgame play in the deal?
The most intriguing part of the release comes right at the end. The partnership was made possible "also thanks to the contribution of Microgame". GameArt also sends special thanks to Emanuele Morante "for the support provided". Microgame describes itself as Italy's leading gaming service provider, with offices in Benevento and Rome. More than 50 concession holders and over 120 brands rely on its services, and Casino di Venezia is listed among its clients.
To grasp why this matters, you have to look at the plumbing of online gambling. A foreign studio does not always plug its slots directly into each operator. It often goes through the technical platform that runs the site, or through an aggregator acting as a switchboard between dozens of game libraries. That is exactly how GameArt first entered Italy in 2017. In Venice, judging by the studio's thank-you note, Microgame played that bridging role.
I'll admit it: I like this kind of personal thank-you. In an industry that loves staged handshakes, naming the person who actually moved a deal forward feels almost like the courtesy of another century. The 17th, why not.
Why does Casino di Venezia call itself the oldest casino in the world?
From the Ridotto of San Moisè to the palace on the Grand Canal
It all began in 1638, in the middle of Carnival. Unable to stop Venetians from gambling, the Great Council of the Republic chose to regulate their passion and opened a public gaming house in Palazzo Dandolo, at San Moisè: the Ridotto. Entry was open to all in theory, but high stakes and the obligation to wear a mask and tricorn hat drew mostly nobles and the city's great fortunes, who faced off at basset and biribissi. In the following century, Giacomo Casanova would try his luck there too.
The party ended on 27 November 1774, when the Great Council voted by a large majority for the closure proposed by the reformer Giorgio Pisani. As the Italian Wikipedia entry on the Casinò di Venezia recalls, it took until 1936 for the State to authorise the City to run a gaming house again, first on the Lido for the summer season. In 1946, the municipality bought Ca' Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace on the Grand Canal where Richard Wagner died in 1883, to house its winter venue. Ca' Noghera, opened in 1999 near Marco Polo airport, later added Italy's first American-style casino.
I won't pose as History's notary: between 1774 and 1936, continuity belongs to collective memory more than to the official record. Yet it is on this claimed lineage that the title of oldest casino in the world rests, and it carries a strikingly modern idea. In 1638, Venice had understood that gambling was better channelled than left to thrive in back rooms. Give or take a few centuries, that is the philosophy of every regulated market today, starting with Italy.
Key dates in the history of the Venice casino
Year
Milestone
1638
The Great Council opens the Ridotto in Palazzo Dandolo, at San Moisè
1774
Closure of the Ridotto voted on 27 November
1936
The State authorises the City of Venice to reopen a gaming house, on the Lido
1946
Purchase of Ca' Vendramin Calergi, winter venue on the Grand Canal
1999
Opening of Ca' Noghera, near Marco Polo airport
2012
Gaming operations move to the company Casinò di Venezia Gioco
2025
Nine-year online gaming concession
2026
WorldMatch arrives in February, followed by GameArt on 12 May
A nine-year online concession in a reshaped Italian market
The timing makes sense once you go back to 13 November 2025. That day, Italy's online gambling market, overseen by the regulator ADM, switched to the regime created by Legislative Decree 41/2024. The new rules brought 52 concessions awarded to 46 operators, a single gaming domain per concession holder and the end of around 350 satellite sites, the famous skins that multiplied brands. The State raised €364 million from it, or €7 million per concession.
Casino di Venezia took a seat at this new table. The house has been profitable since 2016, according to the municipality. In 2025, it posted €117.8 million in net takings, recorded 767,727 visits across its two venues and hired 60 people, as shown in figures published by La Nuova Venezia. Its development plan makes the online gaming concession, secured for the next nine years, a strategic priority aimed at a clientele the Grand Canal gaming rooms never see. Provider WorldMatch had in fact announced its games on the Venetian platform as early as February 2026.
Italy's online casino market in figures
There is plenty here to whet appetites. According to SBC News, player spending at Italian online casinos reached €3.2 billion in 2025, up from €2.8 billion in 2024, an increase of 15.8%. ADM data analysed by Websim show the momentum continuing in 2026: €306 million in September, up 12% year on year, and growth of 14% across the third quarter as a whole. Slots are the beating heart of it all, with more than €215 million spent in December 2025, around 65% of that month's casino spending.
Still, the table is already crowded. Lottomatica alone captures around 31% of casino spending, while Sisal and a handful of large groups share much of the rest. Casino di Venezia arrives online with a name any marketing director would dream of, but with the status of a newcomer facing groups that are seasoned at winning over players.
GameArt in Italy: nine years of presence before Venice
GameArt, a studio with Slovenian roots, is no stranger to Italy. Registered in Malta, where it has held an MGA licence since February 2023, it has teams working from Nova Gorica, Ljubljana and Maribor. Its Italian debut was announced on 11 September 2017, when its games reached Planetwin365 through the aggregator ESA Gaming, starting on mobile.
The story then unfolds in small steps. In October 2023, the partnership with Planetwin365 was strengthened, and the studio earned a double shortlisting at the EGR Italy Awards, as Employer of the Year and as a supplier. Two years later, it exhibited at SiGMA Rome. Then, on 14 September 2026, Italian operator Vincitù joined the list, its administrator Gianmarco Saviano explaining that they had "already appreciated their games in the past".
When it comes to the game library, Italian rules leave no room for improvisation: a game can only be offered to players once it has been certified for the regulated market. GameArt notably lists Golden Furong, 20 Super Sevens, Candy Trouble, Ragna's Rock, Halloween Farm and Royal Gems among its titles certified for the Italian market. Gleaming 7s, Viking folklore, candy, a Halloween farm, jewels and a touch of Asia: the palette looks like that of a studio that prefers to spread its bets rather than put everything on a single colour.
This Italian presence is part of a wider strategy. The studio looks for partners wherever its games can find an audience. It signs with recommendation sites, such as JogosDeApostas.com in Brazil in August 2025, as readily as with concession holders. Venice clearly belongs to the second group, and it is the more demanding one.
Tradition versus giants: what future for a public gaming house online?
On paper, the alliance looks like a perfect match. A name steeped in history that no longer needs an introduction meets a studio looking for prestigious showcases to hold its own against the industry's heavyweights. Venice thus joins the list of distribution deals GameArt has been lining up for several seasons, but few of its partners can flaunt a pedigree dating back to 1638. Prestige, however, does not guarantee a single bet.
An online casino lives on retention far more than on legend: promotions, smooth play, a refreshed game library, customer service. On that front, the war machines of Lottomatica or Sisal have resources of another calibre. Casino di Venezia's trump card may lie elsewhere, in the hundreds of thousands of visits its two venues record every year. Will those regulars follow the brand onto their smartphones, reassured to find a house backed by the City online? I don't have the answer, and I'm wary of anyone who claims to. The verdict will show up in the ADM's monthly figures, not in press releases.
For GameArt, the next hand will be dealt in Rome. The studio will exhibit at SiGMA World Rome 2026 from 3 to 5 November, on stand H6-6022 at Fiera Roma. An account manager dedicated to the Italian market will meet operators there, and visitors will be able to try Baccarat Dragon Blaze before its release on 24 November. If the studio's slots find their audience on the lagoon, the Venetian showcase will carry real weight in those conversations. The Great Council of 1638 wanted to keep gambling under the glow of chandeliers rather than in the shadows of illicit dens. Almost four centuries later, its heirs are replaying the same game on servers, and I suspect the Serenissima would smile at that.
FAQ: GameArt and Casino di Venezia
When did GameArt and Casino di Venezia announce their partnership?
On 12 May 2026, in a press release from GameArt. A selection of the studio's premium slots has since been playable on Casino di Venezia's official online platform.
Which GameArt slots are certified for the Italian market?
GameArt names Golden Furong, 20 Super Sevens, Candy Trouble, Ragna's Rock, Halloween Farm and Royal Gems among its titles certified for Italy (press release of 9 October 2026).
Is Casino di Venezia really the oldest casino in the world?
It claims the title through the Ridotto, a public gaming house opened in 1638 by the Great Council of Venice. The Ridotto closed in 1774, and the City was only allowed to reopen a casino in 1936.
Where is Casino di Venezia?
It has two venues: Ca' Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace on the Grand Canal bought by the City in 1946, and Ca' Noghera, opened in 1999 near Marco Polo airport.
Who owns Casino di Venezia?
The City of Venice, sole shareholder of Casinò di Venezia Gioco, the company that has run the gaming operations since 2012.
Does Casino di Venezia hold an online gaming concession?
Yes. It holds a nine-year online gaming concession under the Italian regime that came into force on 13 November 2025, supervised by the ADM, Italy's gambling regulator.
What role did Microgame play in the partnership?
According to GameArt, the deal was made possible thanks to the contribution of Microgame, an Italian gaming service provider. The studio also thanks Emanuele Morante for his support.
Who is Gašper Žun?
GameArt's Chief Executive Officer. In the press release, he praises "a brand with deep roots" and calls the launch "an exciting moment" for the studio.
Can you play on Casino di Venezia's platform from outside Italy?
No. Sites operating under an ADM concession are reserved for players located in Italy. Elsewhere, players should stick to operators licensed in their own country.
How big is the online casino market in Italy?
Player spending reached €3.2 billion in 2025, up 15.8% year on year. In September 2026, it stood at €306 million, 12% more than in September 2025.
