Sisal launches new sports lottery product with Italian National Olympic Committee
The sports-themed Vinci Italia will raise direct funding for the Italian Olympic team.
Italy.- Sisal and the Italian National Olympic Committee CONI have launched the country’s first lottery product designed specifically to generate direct funding for the Olympic team and its network of sports associations. The daily Vinci Italia draw will be offered across Sisal’s 35,000 retail outlets and its online platform.
Tickets cost €2 per combination, with each draw featuring 40 numbers. guaranteeing an opening jackpot of €2m for the debut draw on September 28. The structure is designed to ensure that 65 per cent of proceeds go to the prize pool, while 27 per cent of income is earmarked for CONI to support Team Italia.
CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio described the lottery as one of his first priorities after his election in 2025. He said the launch followed seven years of collaboration between CONI, Flutter Entertainment-owned Sisal, the regulator ADM and government officials. He added that the lottery would revive a tradition while passing on benefits to sporting activities.
The scheme was approved under Italy’s previous Budget Law. Buonfiglio praising Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti for recognising the importance of a sustainable funding source for Olympic sport.
CONI stressed that Vinci Italia is a lottery rather than a betting product. However, there is a plan to link numbers to athletes, disciplines and major events. “Not all young athletes are well known in the media, and our objective is to ensure that people get to know them,” CONI secretary general Carlo Mornati said. “We are not talking about betting. This is a lottery that allows everyone to contribute to our sporting movement and the success of our athletes.”
For Sisal, the partnership continues its historical role in financing Italian sport. The company first launched football pools in 1946 to help rebuild stadiums damaged in the Second World War. That later evolving into the Totocalcio under CONI’s management in 1948. CEO Roberto Di Fonzo said: “We are providing the strength of our network, our capacity for innovation and the experience gained over time to provide concrete and continuous support to the Italian Olympic movement, helping to promote its growth, competitiveness and values.”
The launch comes amid debates over the future funding of Italian sport. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government is preparing the final Budget 2027 ahead of the next general election. Calls for a repeal of Italy’s ban on gambling advertising and sponsorship imposed by the 2018 Dignity Decree resurfaced after the country failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
There is also a proposal to carve out a dedicated revenue-neutral 2 per cent football betting levy to direct funds to the Italian Football Federation and initiatives such as youth academies, infrastructure, women’s and amateur football, and measures tackling gambling harm. Talks have been complicated by the FIGC presidential election, which saw Giovanni Malagò take charge, amid disputes over broadcast rights and financial controls tied to youth development. Meloni has insisted that all proposals must be finalised by the end of September to be included in Budget 2027.
