Italian trade body swings at ad prohibition

Italian iGaming trade body LOGiCO assured that the ad prohibition doesn’t impact on whether consumers engage gambling or not.

Italy.- The Italian government’s prohibition on gambling advertising shocked the industry and could have a serious negative impact on its performance. However, local online gambling trade body LOGiCO stated that ads might not be as relevant for punters when they decide to engage in gambling.

According to LOGiCO, 94.5% of adult players gamble on land-based offerings, while the online segment remains a niche market in Italy. Furthermore, they explained that research conducted by Italy’s National Institute of Health (ISS), shows that iGaming operators are better prepared than land-based companies to protect national consumers from gambling harms and addiction.

“ISS’ evidence and statistics, confirms what LOGiCO has maintained for some time, online gambling verticals offer better procedures for identifying problem gamblers and limiting services to vulnerable consumers,” LOGiCO President Moreno Marasco said.

In addition, LOGiCO explained that ISS’ statistics detail that advertising has no impact on consumer engagement with gambling products.

“The ISS report underlines that recent measures undertaken by the Dignity Decree will be ineffective in the fight against problem gambling and criminal actors targeting vulnerable players,” LOGiCO’s president added.