Italy expected to overhaul land-based gambling with unified national regulations
Summary
Italy is preparing a major reform to unify land-based gambling rules across 20 regions and 110 municipalities. A draft decree — the result of nearly two years of talks with local authorities — would apply nationwide to slot machines, bingo halls and video lottery terminals (VLTs), and is due to be reviewed under the country’s fiscal delegation framework.
The package aims to rationalise the retail footprint for consumer protection and harm prevention. Early proposals foresee cuts to outlets and machine numbers, tighter certification and player-protection standards enforced by the Agency of Customs and Monopolies (ADM), uniform minimum-distance rules from sensitive locations and stricter opening-hour requirements. New concession tenders for machines, betting and bingo are also planned and are expected to raise close to €2 billion in additional tax revenue.
Key Points
- Draft decree seeks national rules for land-based gambling across 20 regions and 110 municipalities.
- Reform follows a first phase that restructured online gambling (new rules in force November 2025).
- Estimated reduction of outlets by about 10% to roughly 40,000 venues; betting shops capped at 10,000.
- Slot machines could fall from ~240,000 to ~200,000 units; VLTs down ~20% from 55,000 to ~46,000.
- ADM-led certification regime will impose tougher player-protection and underage-access controls for licensed operators.
- New national minimum-distance rules: 100 metres for certified venues, 200 metres for non-certified outlets from sensitive sites (schools, treatment centres, hospitals).
- Proposed daily closure periods: 6.5 hours for certified venues, 8 hours for non-certified premises.
- Concession tenders for machines, betting and bingo expected by year-end, forecast to raise nearly €2 billion.
- Negotiations balanced uniformity with regional concerns over taxation, revenue loss and compensation; no implementation timetable yet.
Why should I read this?
If you work in Italian gaming — operator, supplier, regulator or policy watcher — this is a big one. They’re not just tweaking rules: they’re cutting outlets and machines, centralising certification and stamping out regional patchwork. It changes market access, compliance obligations and revenue forecasts. Save yourself the time: read the detail if you’re exposed to the Italian retail market or planning bids for concessions.