The parliament of Italy has begun defining the work that needs to be done in reforming the country’s gambling sector. The final work will be done by the government through decree, according to CDC Gaming Reports.
Top considerations in the overhaul are consumer protections, public order and security. The land-based casino industry has been demanding revisions to harmonize the rules they operate under to those that apply to online arcades and casinos.
Critics say the laws that apply to online gaming, once considered among the best in Europe, are now a confusingly complex landscape that is hard to navigate.
Today 90 remote-gambling concessions will expire by the end of next year. And those have been given two-year concessions due to complications that arose due to Covid.
The tender rules created by the Budget Law for 2020 under the previous Conte Government, sought to reduce that number to a maximum of 40, with a minimum bidding price of €2,500,000 for a non-renewable nine-year period.
The new Italian government of Giorgia Meloni, which is more sympathetic to a healthy gaming market, seeks to reshape the tender rules so as to not restrict access to the online market. It is supposed that the market will be winnowed through operators with unprofitable shares leaving it and through merger and acquisition to consolidate some of the players.
Last year the remote-gambling gross gaming revenue (GGR) rose to €3.9 billion, a 4.6 percent increase over 2021. However, the largest activity is concentrated from 10-15 very competitive operators.
This growth came despite the introduction in 2018 of a ban on advertising and sponsorships of gambling. This came, as CDC notes, without a consultation or risk assessment of such a ban. Advocates for online gaming argue that such a ban singles them out, even though it includes land-based casinos. Also it has no effect on illegal advertising.
