The ashtray sits beside a small basket of tokens, set far enough away to keep cigarette butts from falling among the coins used to start the machines. A man presses the buttons compulsively. Words and symbols flash across the screen. He mutters something, exhales a cloud of smoke, then fishes a couple of coins out of the basket, rummaging around with his hand. He slips them into the slot machine and starts pressing the buttons again.

It is less a ritual than a mantra. Every play could be the winning one, and every little move seems essential to bringing good luck. A man sitting a short distance away has no such luck. “You can’t win a damn thing here.” He gets up and leaves, tossing aside a cigarette pack without even looking at the receipt the machine spits out: €50 gone.

In the “Las Vegas” of the Arona area, on Lake Maggiore, this is just another ordinary day. Some people stop by to wager a few euros; others are hardcore gamblers hoping for a life-changing win. They can choose from eight slot-machine parlors within just 2.8 miles, scattered along State Road 33 and Corso Cavour between Dormelletto and Castelletto Ticino, on the border between Piedmont and Lombardy.

In the province of Novara, slot machines and video poker account for about one-tenth of Piedmont’s total gambling spending of €9.9 billion, according to a 2025 gambling report presented by the Democratic Party’s minority group in the regional council. But it is the small town of Dormelletto, with just over 2,500 residents, that stands out for its record wagers. The figures paint an alarming picture of the scale of this local economy: along that stretch of road, people spend as much as €23.26 million a year on in-person gambling and another €3.95 million online.

That works out to nearly €10,000 per resident, including children and older people. The national average is just under €3,000 per adult. According to the report, Dormelletto’s gambling spending is one-tenth of Novara’s, even though the city has a population of more than 103,000. Neighboring Castelletto Ticino, with fewer than 10,000 residents, is not far behind: gamblers there wager €10,627,114.73 on poker, card games, dice, roulette and more.

Many businesses in the two towns open early in the morning and stay open until late at night. The customers who walk in and settle in front of the screens are mostly men between 40 and 60. They move from one machine to another, gather to play online poker on their phones, or scratch lottery tickets while going back and forth to the counter.

The sessions can last all day, since some establishments in Dormelletto combine gambling with bar and tobacco-shop services.

In Castelletto, by contrast, “the customers are mostly former business owners over 60, both men and women,” says the manager of one establishment, “or younger people betting on sporting events.” The venue sees around 80 customers a day. “About 50 are foreigners, mostly Romanian or Albanian. They come here after finishing their shifts on construction sites, have a drink and place a bet.”

Customers also come from neighboring Lombardy. At the end of “slot-machine row,” a bridge crosses the Ticino River to Sesto Calende, in the province of Varese.

As for the gambling parlors, “there aren’t any major problems,” says the owner of a business along State Road 33 in Dormelletto, who asked not to be named. “There’s a constant stream of people, which can be unsettling if you walk past. But they’re drawn to the machines like moths to a flame. They stay inside, gambling, drinking and smoking. They don’t bother anyone.”

Some residents, however, believe this “peaceful coexistence” masks a deeper problem: “a condition suffered by people who choose to deal with their problems in isolation, without contact with the wider community — and without the community taking an interest in them, especially since Covid.”

“It’s worrying to live near an area with so many gambling parlors packed into such a small space,” adds a Dormelletto resident who regularly passes along the state highway. The road, it should be noted, lies some distance from the historic centers and residential neighborhoods of both towns.

Four establishments, for example, are located in an almost entirely commercial area, yet they surround Gottard Park, a green space in Castelletto designed for families, with playgrounds and attractions including old cars and airplanes to explore the outdoors.

Mayor Massimo Stilo offers reassurance: “We have never recorded problems between bars and slot-machine parlors, nor have we had anyone with this kind of problem receiving support from our social services. We have always paid close attention to the issue.”

Dormelletto’s gambling parlors are also spread along the Simplon highway, relatively isolated from residential neighborhoods. Mayor Lorena Vedovato says the customers are “mostly people passing through or foreigners, especially because of the tourism on Lake Maggiore.” And there are fewer places to gamble than in the past. “Two establishments have closed in recent years, bringing the total down from six to four.”

Like Stilo, Vedovato says she is working to tackle the problem. “We are working to set up a team of experts who can intervene at these venues and help people begin a rehabilitation program.”

There is also a project on Via Roma, in a property confiscated from the Mafia and now named after Sonia Solinas, a woman murdered in a femicide in 2022. The building has become a support center for vulnerable people and victims of violence, both men and — especially — women.

Starting in October, the Novara-based association OrientaMente, which works to address social and psychological distress, will also open a center there. “It will be a safe place for people affected by gambling addiction, too.”

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