Italian bill proposes dedicated football betting levy to fund sport’s development
The proposal would redirect tax proceeds from domestic football bets.
Italy.- The Italian football team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup provoked calls for an urgent review of the sport’s funding. For some, the answer is to backtrack on the ban on gambling advertising and sponsorship introduced in 2019. However, a new bill proposes a different funding stream through a new levy on domestic football bets.
Senator Paolo Marcheschi’s Bill 1902 has been assigned to the Senate’s 7th Standing Committee for review. If approved, it would take effect on 1 January 2027, imposing a 2 per cent tax on all football bets placed in Italy, both those placed at retail betting shops and online platforms.
The measure would apply to fixtures organised by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and its affiliated leagues, both professional and amateur. Licensed operators would be required to transfer the levy to the FIGC on a quarterly basis. The proposal is that this would be revenue-neutral for operators, with the new levy to be offset via a reduction in the existing PREU tax on fixed-odds football bets.
Lawmakers estimate the change would redirect around €230m annually from general state coffers into a football fund managed by the FIGC. At least 50 per cent would go to youth development, including women’s training programmes, infrastructure projects, and territorial centres. At least 30 per cent would be directed to social initiatives, particularly those aimed at preventing gambling harm and reducing youth dropout rates from sport. The remaining 20 per cent would go to women’s football and the grassroots amateur game.
The precise implementation rules, including payment and reporting procedures, would be defined by the Ministry of Economy and Finance together with the government’s sports delegate within six months of the law’s enactment.
The idea of a dedicated football betting levy has been circulating in Italy for some time. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the country introduced an additional emergency 0.5 per cent levy on sports bets to help fund economic recovery. Former FIGC president Gabriele Gravina has expressed support for the current proposal.
The bill stresses that the levy should not be considered state aid, but a mechanism to build a self-sustaining football ecosystem. The FIGC would be required to submit a certified annual report to the prime minister’s office detailing how funds were received and allocated.
