$US97 billion industry
In the past 15 years, the number of slot machines in Italy has grown to almost 400,000, or one for every 125 Italians, more than twice the number in the United States, due in large part to a wholesale deregulation of the gaming industry in 2001.
Now Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised to slash the number of machines by one-third by the end of 2017, according to the Stockholm Post. If he succeeds, however, Renzi risks also cutting off a major source of tax revenue for the government. The €88 billion (US$97 billion) industry means Italy is the fourth largest gaming market in the world. But the social costs have also been high, say critics. There are an estimated 1 million compulsive gamblers in Italy and Italians spend an average of €1,500 (almost US$1,600) a year on the pastime. About half of that is spent on slots.
Without decisive action from the central government, some cities have taken the problem into their own hands, the Post reported. For example, in 2013 Milan instituted a 500-meter (547-yard) minimum-distance requirement. It also plans to make 96 percent of the city into a slot-machine-free zone when current contracts on the machines run out. But one bar owner says such limitations won’t stop dedicated punters. “You can bet as much as you want every five minutes, and you tell me it’s going to do some good to take away the slot machines?” said Salvatore Russo.
Others are worried about driving the industry underground. “There is too much money involved for organized crime to stay on the sidelines if it isn’t possible to gamble legally,” said Raffaele Curcio, head of the slot-machine industry lobby.
“You can’t just tell kids gambling is bad,” said teacher Alessandra Agliardi. “You have to show them it’s basically impossible to win.”
