Pope Leo XIV has called attention to the ‘scourge of gambling,’ as he says it ‘ruins many families.’
The head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City became pope in May of 2025, with this statement being one of the latest from the first American Pope. He met on Monday with mayors from across Italy and called on them to promote authentically human relationships in order to combat gambling and other expressions of loneliness.
In a press release detailing the speech that the Pope addressed to those present, he also touched on how statistics have recorded a strong increase in gambling in Italy over the last few years.
Pope Leo XIV laments the spread of gambling, saying it ruins many families.
He met Monday with mayors from across Italy, calling on them to promote “authentically human relationships” in order to combat gambling and other expressions of loneliness.
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— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) December 29, 2025
According to the media, Italy is Europe’s biggest gambling market and has outpaced the likes of the UK, Germany, and France. The gross gaming revenues hit 21.5 billion euros in 2024, with the country experiencing a gambling boom.
Italy is biggest gambling market in Europe, with the Pope noting its rise
The Pope said (in a translated version): Unfortunately, our cities know forms of marginalization, violence, and loneliness that ask to be addressed. I would like to draw attention, in particular, to the scourge of gambling, which ruins many families.
“Statistics have recorded a strong increase in Italy in recent years. As Caritas Italiana points out in its latest Report on poverty and social exclusion, this is a serious educational, mental health and social trust problem.
“We cannot forget other forms of loneliness that many people suffer from: mental disorders, depression, cultural and spiritual poverty, social abandonment. They are signs that indicate how much there is a need for hope. To testify to it effectively, politics is called upon to weave genuinely human relationships among citizens by promoting social peace.”
The Pope isn’t the first to mention the rise in this activity, as it was In June of this year when the head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, is reported to have said: “(Gambling) ruins people, it impoverishes, in many cases it destroys relationships, so it is clear that a huge effort (to control it) is needed by everyone.”
While some in Italy have called for greater regulations, especially those within the Catholic Church, it’ll be interesting to see how the government responds as the industry progresses in 2026.
