CJEU orders revision of Italian bingo licence extensions

Italian bingo operators had lodged a complaint over the lack of a competitive tender.

Italy.- The European Union Court of Justice (CJEU) has concluded that the extension of Italian bingo licences must be reviewed. It’s taken the side of Italian bingo operators, ruling that the extensions failed to respect European Union principles regarding fairness and equal treatment in business contracts.

Operators had complained that the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), which regulates gambling in Italy, gave extensions to existing bingo concessions without a competitive tender. The ADM must now draw up a new framework with criteria and technical conditions that provide for equal treatment of competitors.

The news comes as Ministry of Finance (MEF) deputy minister Maurizio Leo continues to review long-planned updates to the regulation of land-based gambling in Italy. The Reorganisation of Gambling Decree was approved by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni back in 2023. The government has been holding talks with the country’s 20 administrative regions with the aim of harmonising federal rules, but regional councillors and presidents have called for negotiations on compensation plans for each administration.

The regional administrations’ umbrella body, Conferenza Unificata (CU), has previously proposed that 5 per cent of revenue from land-based slot machines revenues be directed to regional governments to cover the cost of monitoring venues, and running problem gambling and safer gambling initiatives.

Meanwhile, Italy is reviewing two bids for the next nine-year concession to run the main Italian national lottery. The incumbent IGT and Flutter’s Sisal have made offers for the €4.5bn contract. IGT has run the lottery since 1993, but this bid was made in partnership with Novomatic, the Italian Tobacco Federation (FIT) and the Czech lottery giant Allwyn. Sisal already operates SuperEnalotto.