Salvatore Martorana of Casino2k discusses player trust, withdrawals, account verification, ADM-authorised operators, affiliate communities and player support in Italy’s regulated online casino market.
Status: Editorial. Not sponsored.
Editorial Update: September 24, 2026.
Interview Snapshot
| Format | GamingMarkets Executive Interview |
|---|---|
| Interviewee | Salvatore Martorana |
| Organisation | Casino2k |
| Topic | Player trust and consumer experience in Italy’s regulated online casino market |
| Coverage areas | ADM authorisation, withdrawals, account verification, bonuses, player support, affiliate communities and consumer awareness |
| Market context | Italy |
| Company background | Company information and operational claims attributed to Casino2k in this article were supplied for the interview and are not presented as independently verified third-party endorsement unless otherwise stated. |
Why This Interview Matters
Italy operates a regulated remote-gaming market in which the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, or ADM, publishes an official list of concessionaires authorised to offer remote gaming.
The player experience extends beyond authorisation status. Withdrawals, account verification, bonus terms, operator communication and access to support can all shape how players interact with regulated online casinos.
GamingMarkets spoke with Salvatore Martorana of Casino2k about the issues its community says players raise most often, the distinction between ADM-authorised and non-authorised platforms, and the role affiliates can play between players and operators.
Interview
GamingMarkets: Casino2k won the Casino Affiliate of the Year category at the EGR Italy Awards 2025. From your experience, what has been most important in building a long-term relationship with Italian players?
Salvatore Martorana: I believe the single most important factor has been building a strong and credible reputation among players. Our role should not be limited to helping them choose and register with an online casino; we also need to support them afterwards, for example by helping to resolve issues with their gaming account or explaining how a bonus works.
We realised that, if we wanted to become a genuine point of reference, we had to provide clear and thorough answers to the different needs and concerns players may have. After all, an affiliate can only strengthen its reputation and earn trust by showing a real understanding of how the industry works and by being genuinely useful when users run into problems.
The Casino2k forum has played a key role in our growth because it allows us to stay in direct contact with players and understand the issues they face most often. I’m particularly proud that, by acting as a bridge between users and operators, we have helped players recover more than €1.7 million in suspended withdrawals and blocked winnings. That is an achievement we are very proud of.
The awards we have received are therefore a reflection of both our working approach and the support we provide to members of our community. At the EGR Italy Awards 2025, we won the Casino Affiliate of the Year category, and Casino2k has now been shortlisted again for 2026 in both the Affiliate of the Year and Casino Affiliate of the Year categories. For us, this is an important recognition of the effort we put in every day to support players and keep the site up to date with reliable content.
GamingMarkets: From your experience, what should Italian players understand about the difference between operators authorised by ADM for remote gaming in Italy and platforms that are not authorised by ADM for the Italian market?
Salvatore Martorana: The first key point to understand is this: just because a platform is accessible from Italy does not automatically mean that it is authorised to operate there. In order to offer remote gaming legally in the Italian market, an ADM concession is required. At Casino2k, we explain what players should check to distinguish an authorised platform from one that is not, while also reminding them that the official website of the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency provides a full list of authorised concessionaires. It is a quick and simple check, but one that can make a huge difference.
The distinction between authorised and non-authorised operators becomes even more important when it comes to player protection. An ADM-authorised online casino operates within Italy’s regulated system and must therefore comply with requirements relating to the protection of personal data and transactions, as well as transparency and game compliance. It must also provide a range of responsible gambling tools, including the option to set limits on deposits, playing time and spending, and, most importantly, to self-exclude from gambling either temporarily or indefinitely.
Choosing a non-authorised platform, on the other hand, can expose players to risks and difficulties that should not be underestimated, and we always make sure to warn them about this. For example, if winnings are not paid out or an account is blocked, it can be more difficult for players to enforce their rights or seek help from the relevant authorities. The same applies if an online casino suddenly ceases operations: in that situation, recovering any money left in the account can become difficult and time-consuming.
GamingMarkets: What are the most common questions or concerns players bring to the Casino2k community?
Salvatore Martorana: Bonuses, payments, gaming account issues and technical problems while playing are the topics that come up most often. More specifically, users often contact us about a bonus that has not been credited or a delay in receiving their winnings, or they ask why their account has been blocked and what they should do if a game crashes. For people like us who know the industry well, these may seem like fairly straightforward questions, but for the average player they are anything but.
A large number of messages on the forum also concern payment methods, especially withdrawal times. Another common issue is the documentation required to verify an account: users want to know which documents they need to provide, how long the verification process takes and what to do if their account is suspended or blocked.
The forum teaches us something important every day: players want a clear and timely answer. That means avoiding unnecessary technical jargon and explaining things thoroughly in a way that is still easy for the average user to understand. To do so, we need to stay up to date and have a strong understanding of the rules, procedures and mechanisms that shape Italy’s ADM-regulated online casino market.
GamingMarkets: When players experience difficulties with an online casino, what issues tend to come up most often?
Salvatore Martorana: The issue we come across most often is definitely withdrawals. We have found that players become most concerned when their winnings are not credited within the expected timeframe. In most cases there is no reason to panic, so our first step is to reassure them and explain that delays are usually caused by the operator requesting additional documents or by extra security checks carried out by the financial institution.
Another fairly common issue, as I mentioned earlier, is account verification: documents being rejected, checks taking longer than expected, or accounts being restricted or suspended. In other cases, although less frequently, disputes or misunderstandings can arise over bonuses, especially when a player has not fully understood the relevant terms and conditions.
When a player turns to our forum for help, we try to reconstruct exactly what happened and understand the real cause of the problem. Our role is not to automatically side with either the player or the operator, but to act as an intermediary between the two. If we believe there are grounds to look into the matter further, we contact our point of reference at the operator and try to find a solution.
I am happy to mention two cases reported on the forum where our intervention proved decisive in resolving the issue. The first involved a user called Daviragi, who contacted us after SNAI suspended his account following a deposit. We sent the case to the operator at 7:30 a.m., and by 3:00 p.m. the account had already been reactivated. In the second case, a user called GESSI12 had been waiting for several days for three withdrawals of €300, €400 and €300 from 888 Casino. We contacted the operator at around 9:40 a.m., and roughly four hours later the user told us that the payments had been processed.
For our team, helping members of the community and receiving their thanks is always very rewarding, and it shows how effective good communication can be. The trust we have built with ADM-authorised online casinos gives us a direct line of communication with them, which is often crucial when dealing with situations that may initially seem complicated or particularly difficult to resolve.
GamingMarkets: What role can affiliates and player communities play in improving transparency and player awareness in the regulated market?
Salvatore Martorana: I believe affiliates should play a leading role not only in providing accurate and up-to-date information, but also in building an open and genuine dialogue with players. We cannot simply publish a review or a guide without also being able to provide concrete answers. Listening to users’ experiences, understanding their concerns and looking at the issues that come up most often is therefore essential when deciding which topics should take priority in our editorial work.
That is why the forum is so important for Casino2k: it allows us to engage with users on a daily basis and, when necessary, bring their concerns to the operator’s attention. For example, if several people raise the same question about a bonus or a specific procedure, that is a clear sign that the topic deserves more attention and further explanation from our side.
On the one hand, the forum community is a place where users can ask for support; on the other, it is also a valuable source of ideas, feedback and suggestions that help us improve our work. I believe that a strong connection between affiliates, players and operators can make the market more transparent and help players make more informed decisions.
GamingMarkets: Looking ahead, how do you see Casino2k’s role evolving within the Italian regulated gaming market over the next few years?
Salvatore Martorana: We will continue along the path we have been following for over a decade now. We do not want to be seen as simply an information and comparison site. Our goal is much broader: we want to support players throughout their entire online gambling experience and make sure they never feel left on their own.
Following the new regulations introduced in November 2025, the Italian market has seen a reduction in the number of active operators. This makes it even more important for us to analyse them carefully and understand them from every angle, while promptly updating the information across our pages and reviews. After all, we have always focused on the quality of our content and on carefully selecting operators, rather than trying to secure as many partnerships as possible just to increase the number of casinos featured on our site. This is the approach chosen by STS Web Consulting, the company that owns Casino2k.
Our forum will clearly continue to be one of the key pillars of Casino2k’s future, both as a tool for support and communication and as a way to strengthen the credibility and authority of our brand. Users’ questions, reports and experiences will be essential in helping us understand where we can improve, which topics deserve more attention and which content needs to be updated.
GamingMarkets Analysis
The interview highlights a distinction between regulatory authorisation and the wider player experience in a regulated online gambling market.
ADM authorisation establishes whether an operator is permitted to offer remote gaming in Italy. Player experience, however, can also involve withdrawals, account verification, bonus conditions, account restrictions and communication with operators.
Casino2k’s account of its forum activity illustrates how an affiliate community can also operate as an information and communication channel: identifying recurring player concerns, explaining procedures and, according to the interviewee, escalating individual cases to operators where direct relationships exist.
Casino2k’s descriptions of its player-support activity, the reported €1.7 million recovery figure, individual player cases and commercial relationships are statements supplied by the interviewee and are not presented as independent findings by GamingMarkets.
Company Context
Casino2k supplied background information stating that Salvatore Martorana is one of the brand’s three founders and that Casino2k is owned by STS Web Consulting.
EGR lists Casino2k as the winner of the Casino Affiliate category at the EGR Italy Awards 2025. Casino2k is also included in the official 2026 shortlist for both Affiliate of the Year and Casino Affiliate.
About Salvatore Martorana
Casino2k identifies Salvatore Martorana as one of its three founders.
Editorial Clarification
GamingMarkets analysis is separated from the interview text.
Operational and company-specific claims concerning Casino2k, including player-support activity, recovery amounts, individual cases, company relationships and ownership information, are attributed to the interviewee or Casino2k unless independently verified.
This article is published for market-information purposes only and does not constitute legal, investment, gambling, commercial or regulatory advice.
Related Italy Online Casino Market Brief
This Executive Interview is part of GamingMarkets’ coverage of Italy’s regulated online casino market, player protection and market structure.
Readers who need a deeper structured view can request a related market brief covering ADM authorisation, player-protection controls, withdrawals, account verification, bonus conditions, operator communication and the role of affiliates and player communities in the regulated market.
The brief is intended for professional use by operators, affiliates, suppliers, advisers, investors and regulated-market participants.
For more GamingMarkets Executive Interviews, visit the Executive Interviews hub.