From his battles over family matters to his passion for poker, here’s who Adinolfi is

From champion of the traditional family to facing charges of fraud and tax evasion. Mario Adinolfi, now under house arrest, is alleged by Rome’s public prosecutors to have defrauded dozens of people who entrusted him with money – up to 150,000 euros – as part of the ‘collective betting’ scheme, a fundraising network involving private individuals – promoted via social media – who were promised returns linked to sports betting.

An illegal activity through which – according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has entrusted the investigation to the Guardia di Finanza – the former MP is alleged to have evaded tax to the tune of around 400,000 euros, using the money to purchase properties, holidays, boats and watches. In the order, the investigating judge highlights ‘the cunning, the obstinacy and the unscrupulousness in the overall planning and execution of the criminal scheme’, indicative of ‘a specific intent, as well as skill, in the movement of significant sums of money, which highlight a marked propensity to conceal income streams and evade the controls of the tax authorities’.

Journalist, television writer, radio presenter, Member of Parliament and known for his passion for poker and gambling. This is the extensive CV of Mario Adinolfi, 55, who was placed under house arrest today on charges of fraud and tax evasion at the request of the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office. Known for his radical Catholic views in defence of the traditional family, he has in the past made homophobic remarks. At the most recent Gay Pride march in Rome, he turned up in the square, sparking a reaction from the demonstrators. Having started out in the Christian Democracy political camp, he was one of the youngest leaders of the Italian People’s Party before joining the Democratic Party and subsequently founding the People of the Family party. Between 1996 and 2001, he worked at Rai, and in the years that followed he presented and produced programmes for both public and private broadcasters. He subsequently played a part in the formation of the Democratic Party through the Generazione U association, standing as a candidate in the 2007 primaries: he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2012 but left the PD following a dispute over the party’s policy direction.

In 2016, he founded Popolo della Famiglia, a party that aims to politically represent the Family Day movement. In 2022, he founded the Alternativa per l’Italia coalition. The movement’s manifesto – which would achieve poor results at the polls – included opposition to the government’s Covid policies and anti-Atlanticist stances. At the same time, he pursued a career in competitive poker, becoming one of the best-known Italian players on the international circuit. He was the first Italian to reach a final table on the World Poker Tour, achieving notable results between 2009 and 2011 and chronicling the experience on his blog.