Italian Ministry of Sport Defines Official Betting List for Sports

The Italian Ministry of Sport has established the official list of sports for which betting is now permitted. The roster is notably diverse, extending beyond traditional team sports to include a variety of martial arts, mind sports, and gymnastics.

The official list includes judo, capoeira, chess (scacchi), checkers (dama), dominoes, artistic gymnastics, and rhythmic gymnastics. The ministry has included biribol, 7-a-side football, futsal, and handball.

For those unfamiliar with some of the more niche entries, the inclusion of arts like judo and capoeira brings two vastly different philosophies of combat into the betting arena. Having covered the Olympic Games and various international tournaments throughout my 15 years in sports journalism, I’ve seen how these disciplines differ not just in movement, but in their fundamental approach to confrontation.

The Technical Divide: Judo and Capoeira

The inclusion of both judo and capoeira on the approved betting list highlights a broad spectrum of athletic competition. While both are categorized as martial arts, they operate on opposite ends of the tactical scale.

Judo, known as “the gentle way,” is a Japanese martial art developed by Professor Jigoro Kano in the late 19th century. It evolved from Jujutsu, an ancient system of unarmed combat, with Kano focusing on a more practical and accessible approach that emphasizes respect, discipline, and self-improvement. In a competitive setting, judo is primarily grappling-based. Practitioners employ leverage, balance, and timing to control an opponent through throws, holds, pins, and submissions. The goal is to break an opponent’s balance and subdue them using joint locks or chokes.

In contrast, Capoeira is an art of movement and music originating from Brazil. Unlike the close-quarters grappling of judo, capoeira emphasizes agility and the use of kicks to avoid direct confrontation. It is as much a dance as it is a fight, focusing on fluid motion to maintain distance and strike from unexpected angles.

The difference in their “takedown” styles is particularly stark. While judo relies on precise entries and unbalancing the opponent through close-contact throws, capoeira utilizes a more acrobatic approach to bring an opponent down, as highlighted in technical breakdowns of the two arts.

A Broad Spectrum of Competition

Beyond the martial arts, the Ministry of Sport’s list incorporates “mind sports” and precision athletics, signaling a wider definition of what constitutes a bettable sporting event.

• Mind Sports: The inclusion of chess, checkers, and dominoes moves these intellectual competitions into the same regulatory space as physical sports.
• Gymnastics: Both artistic and rhythmic gymnastics are now listed, bringing judged, aesthetic sports into the fold.
• Field and Court Sports: The list covers various iterations of football, including the fast-paced futsal and 7-a-side variants, alongside handball and biribol.

The presence of capoeira as well ties into a larger sporting culture. Sports in Brazil are deeply integrated into the national identity; while football remains the most popular, the country has a rich history of producing diverse athletic disciplines, from mixed martial arts to the rhythmic agility of capoeira.

To place this in perspective for the casual observer: while a judo match is decided by the ability to physically dominate and pin an opponent, a chess match is won through strategic foresight. The fact that both now sit on the same official betting list reflects a significant broadening of the sporting landscape in Italy.

Key Takeaways of the Official List

The next confirmed step will be the implementation of these guidelines by betting operators to align with the Ministry of Sport’s official designations. We will continue to monitor for further updates or additions to this list.

Do you think mind sports like chess belong on the same list as combat sports like judo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.