Italy’s first move towards the regulation of remote gambling B2B operators

The Italian Government has just issued the Fiscal Law Decree, which is intended to introduce new fiscal measures jointly with the Budget bill for 2020. Not surprisingly, fiscal measures on gambling have also been introduced. One of these has, however, attracted greater attention since it introduces compulsory registration into an official unique Register for all … Read more

Remote gambling association LOGiCO Open Letter to the President of the Council of Ministers in Italy

With an Open Letter addressed to Mr Giuseppe Conte, current (and former) President of the Council of Ministers in Italy published on one of the most important Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport, the remote gambling association “LOGiCO – Lega Operatori Gioco su Canale Online” called for remedies for the remote gambling sector. This letter … Read more

Ban on advertising, sponsorship and promotional communications for gambling: The Communications Regulator list of concerns to the Government

On 24 July 2019, the national Communications Authority (‘AGCOM’) has released a Notice to the Government on the Dignity Decree which introduced in 2018 a blanket ban on advertising and sponsorship for gambling in Italy. This Notice starts by AGCOM listing the relevant European and national laws and regulations on gambling advertising, putting into context the … Read more

The unbridgeable gap of the Italian gambling advertising and sponsorship ban

Article 9 of the so-called Dignity Decree (Decree-Law No. 87, dated 12 July 2018, converted with amendments by Law No. 96 of 9 August 2018) prohibits advertising, sponsorship and all other forms of communications with promotional content relating to gambling. The rationale of the blanket ban is to fight against gambling addiction and to strengthen … Read more

Why is Italy afraid of online poker shared liquidity?

  At the end of January 2019, the online poker regulatory authorities of France, Portugal, and Spain released a public statement on the implementation of the agreement concerning online poker liquidity sharing that they signed on 6th July 2017. The fourth signatory to that agreement was the gambling authority of Italy. The purpose of the … Read more

Let’s wake up before gambling is treated like tobacco

Legal provisions adopted in Italy concerning gambling are quite worrying.

Currently, the Italian Senate is debating another increase of the fiscal levy rate for video lotteries (VLT) and amusement with prizes (AWP) machines (low stakes, low prizes). Under the current government, these gaming machines already had two tax increases: one in July 2018, with the ‘Dignity Decree’, in order to compensate for the loss of revenues expected because of the ban on gambling advertising and sponsorships; and a second one, in December, with the Budget Law for 2019….

Italy’s latest Government measures on gambling: new tax increase for slots machines, reduced appeal for 10&Lotto while tightening up sanctions for illegal gambling operators

In order to finance the Citizenship income, the Italian Government has introduced new provisions for the gambling sector with art. 27 Law Decree no. 4/2019 which entered into force last 29 January. Specifically, it sets forth: a compulsory deduction on player’s winning for the lottery product “10&Lotto” and connected games is increased from 8% to … Read more

ITALY’S BUDGET LAW FOR 2019 PROVISIONS FOR GAMBLING: WHERE FROM HERE?

The Italian Budget Law for 2019 has increased taxation on gambling. Many gambling products are significantly affected – whether offered offline or online. Starting from 1st January 2019, remote betting turned from 22 to 24% GGR, while offline betting from 18 to 20% GGR; remote bingo and skill games (“giochi di abilità”) taxation turned from … Read more

ITALIAN GAMBLING AUTHORITY TORT LIABILITY TOWARDS REMOTE GAMBLING LICENSEES’ PLAYER

With its recent judgment no. 4026/2018, the Italian Supreme Court has stated the liability of the Italian gambling authority Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (‘ADM’) towards a player for ADM remote gambling licensees’ tort. The claimant player started an action in tort against the Ministry of Finance and ADM to be redressed of the … Read more