Regulatory Deadlock Poses Challenge for Italy’s Gambling Industry

Italy's gambling industry is currently facing a "regulatory deadlock" that threatens to increase unregulated activities, the trade body EGP-FIPE warned the Senate on Tuesday. The association voiced its concerns during a hearing before the Constitutional Affairs Committee. EGP-FIPE, representing operators under the Italian Federation of Public Establishments within Confcommercio, highlighted that the development of the legal gambling market is hindered by repeated extensions of national gambling concessions alongside inconsistent municipal and regional regulations. This lack of a cohesive national reform framework has left the sector "frozen," hampering effective network planning and diluting protective measures for problem gambling. Emmanuele Cangianelli, president of EGP-FIPE, stated, "The system is stuck between extensions and non-homogeneous territorial rules. This block prevents serious planning of the network and weakens precisely the protection tools that one would like to strengthen. Without a coherent national framework, prevention loses effectiveness, and the space for uncontrolled supply (the black market) grows." The association criticized local restrictions on land-based operators, such as proximity buffers and strict opening-hour limits, arguing these measures are largely ineffective at reducing problem gambling. Instead, they often push players toward online platforms or the unregulated market where oversight is minimal or absent. Cangianelli remarked, "The evidence is that where the physical offer is rigidly restricted, the problem is not reduced, but moved. Play heads online or to the underground market, where control is nil. This makes territorial instruments little effective with respect to the declared objective and introduces heavy distortions in terms of legality and the sustainability of the authorised network." The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has also urged the government to revisit the country’s strict betting advertising rules. Outgoing president Gabriele Gravina criticized the 2018 blanket ban on advertisement and sponsorships, describing it as "largely ineffective" in curbing underage and illegal gambling. He referenced a 2022 Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry report that indicated continued growth in such areas despite the restrictions. EGP-FIPE also stressed the importance of behavioral prevention tools, including self-exclusion systems and advanced technological monitoring solutions. However, the association warned that these tools might yield inconsistent outcomes without a stable national governance structure to coordinate efforts across regions and municipalities. Cangianelli stated, "A clear governance structure is needed. Regions may have a role, but within a shared national plan. Otherwise, partial interventions will continue to accumulate without solving the problem." Italy’s regulated gambling market ranks among the largest in Europe and is overseen by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM). The past decade has witnessed substantial growth in online betting and gaming, while retail gambling venues face increasingly stringent municipal controls. Last year, a new licensing structure was implemented, compressing more than 400 operating domains into 52 licenses by November 2025, transitioning to a tightly governed oligopoly of powerful incumbents. Despite this shift, Italy remains one of Europe’s largest online gambling markets by turnover and tax revenue, with license revenues generating approximately €364 million ($424 million) for the state as of November last year.