Lottomatica seeking to capitalise on Italy's burgeoning gambling habit
By Guy Dinmore in Rome
Published: January 3 2009 02:00 | Last updated: January 3 2009 02:00
From the country that pioneered the modern form of lottery 500 years ago and whose Christmas tradition is to play tombola - bingo - it should come as no surprise that Italians are not letting recession get in the way of a growing national affection for gambling.
Despite three consecutive quarters of economic contraction, Italy's total gaming market is still forecast to grow 12.5 per cent for the full 2008 year to