Italian land-based gambling reforms to be put back
The government is expected to grant a longer adjustment period for its shake up of retail gambling in Italy.
Italy.- It appears that plans to reform land-based gambling in Italy will face a new eight-month delay. The Reorganisation Decree was due to be fully implemented by December, but the government reportedly intends to accept a proposal to put the timeline back to August 2026.
Mariangela Matera, a Fratelli d’Italia MP for Puglia, had suggested that the Ministry of Finance (MEF), extend the adjustment period to 36 months to give regional governments more time to adapt regulations and finalise budget allocations while also allowing the government to update the framework of sanctions for regulatory breaches.
“This is not about dismantling the reform. It’s about strengthening it by ensuring the necessary financial and institutional coordination. Our goal is to create an equitable and effective system,” Matera said.
The Reorganisation Decree aims to standardise land-based gambling regulations across Italy’s 20 regions and 107 provinces, including distance requirements and opening hours for gambling venues, mandatory player identification for gaming machines, limits on stakes and winnings, training for operators and dealers and integration with the national self-exclusion scheme.
Regional governments will receive the equivalent to 5 per cent of licensing-related income taxes on gaming tax revenue, estimated at €300m a year, to cover the costs of gambling treatment programmes. The Union Conference (UC), which represents regional governments, has accepted the decree but the reforms require an agreement on the 2026 Budget Law in order to provide funds for the implementation.
Italian online gambling and lottery tenders
Meanwhile, the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) has been taking applications for new Italian online gambling licences in Italy. It previously said it expected round 50 operators to apply, generating revenue of €350m from licence fees and €100m a year from concession fees. The regulator also recently confirmed Lottoitalia, a consortium comprising IGT, Allwyn, Novomatic and the Tobacco Retailers Federation as the winner of the main Italian lottery licence for the next nine years.
The ADM’s figures show that gross gaming revenue (GGR) in Italy came in at €21.6bn in 2024, a rise of 4.4 per cent year-on-year increase. Growth was driven by a 17 per cent rise in online gaming revenue to €5bn. Meanwhile, land-based gambling revenue held steady with just a small rise to €16.5bn. As for stakes, players bet €157.5bn over the 12 months: €92bn online and €65bn via land-based gambling.
