Italy’s communications regulator, AGCOM, has published proposed new guidelines on infotainment news websites linked to gambling sponsorships. The regulator has launched a public consultation with a 30-day submission period.
In 2018, Italy’s Dignity Decree banned traditional gambling sports sponsorships, prompting betting operators to find new ways to remain involved in football through infotainment partnerships.
This model works as follows: clubs partner with operators’ sports infotainment platforms, which often use names very similar to official brands that are banned from sponsorship but are treated as media services. These platforms typically cover live scores, match statistics and football news.
AGCOM is now proposing stricter rules on such promotions. These introduce significant changes to branding, links to gambling sites, editorial and registration requirements for infotainment websites, where applicable, as well as other key areas.
But how will this affect these deals, and how important are they to operators and Italian football?
How prevalent are these deals in Italian football?
In July, FC Napoli entered into an infotainment partnership with a betting operator, signing a two-year deal with Entain’s Eurobet.live that will make the brand the club’s official infotainment partner until 30 June 2028. The same month, Juventus announced a similar partnership with bet365 Scores, further reinforcing a growing trend among Serie A clubs.
Last summer, ahead of the 2025/26 Serie A season, several clubs embraced this model by signing partnerships with internationally recognised brands. Bet365 Scores partnered with Pisa, Udinese, Torino, Cagliari and Napoli; Betsson.sport joined Inter; BetItalyPay signed with Lecce; AdmiralBet.news partnered with Parma; and Betway Scores became Fiorentina’s infotainment partner.
Maintaining these partnerships with significantly different branding and visual identities, without odds coverage or referrals, might simply not be worth the investment
These deals are clearly important to operators, as demonstrated by the number of partnerships secured in recent years. On the other hand, an important question remains: do they provide enough funding for clubs?
Many within Italian football argue that they do not. Serie A clubs have noted that the Dignity Decree continues to place them at a competitive disadvantage compared with clubs elsewhere in Europe, where traditional betting sponsorships still generate significant commercial income.
Some industry estimates suggested Serie A clubs lost between €80m ($90m) and €100m a year following the introduction of the Dignity Decree. It remains unclear how much of that shortfall has been recovered through infotainment partnerships, as the financial terms of most agreements have not been disclosed publicly.
Branding, links and promotions face tighter scrutiny
The proposal targets businesses that use the same trademark for gambling services and other activities, such as sports media or entertainment. In other words, it targets operators’ infotainment websites.
Under the proposed guidelines, such sites could be exempt from the advertising ban only if they operate independently and their promotion does not indirectly advertise gambling.
AGCOM would assess the overall message, focusing on brands linked to both gambling and non-gambling activities rather than imposing blanket requirements on all infotainment sites.
The proposed restrictions cover promotional communications. They would prohibit references to gambling, including odds, predictions, jackpots, bonuses, betting slips, gambling interfaces and reward mechanisms. Moreover, the rules would prohibit promotional codes, referral mechanisms and links to gambling sites.
This could make these sites far less enticing to sports betting fans and much less attractive for operators to launch in the first place.
Furthermore, AGCOM also aims to establish a clear distinction between branding and visual identity. The guidelines specify that operators may not reproduce lettering, colour schemes, symbols or other elements of a gambling brand’s visual identity on media and infotainment sites.
These deals are clearly important to operators, as demonstrated by the number of partnerships secured in recent years
What will the new branding rules mean for operators?
Depending on how AGCOM finalises and enforces the guidelines, this could be very bad news for operators currently sponsoring clubs through infotainment partnerships, as the branding used in these deals often closely resembles the operators’ actual branding. It remains to be seen how strictly the rules will be enforced in practice.
Maintaining these partnerships with a substantially altered look and feel, without odds coverage or referrals, might simply not be worth the investment. Visual branding remains the most valuable element of these deals, allowing operators to maintain brand recognition and an association with football.
Additionally, the guidelines establish clear autonomy requirements. Infotainment sites would need to operate on a stable, ongoing basis, with their own organisational structure, resources and production processes. They could not serve merely as an ancillary activity or a means of driving traffic to gambling services. They would likewise need a distinct trademark registered under product and service classes unrelated to gambling.
This presents another hurdle for operators sponsoring clubs through these deals, as it could require further investment. These are major international gambling operators with the resources to establish the required structures and register separate trademarks. However, the cumulative effect of the proposed restrictions could prove disastrous for the commercial viability of these arrangements.
What is the outlook for enforcement?
The regulator appears serious about tackling indirect gambling promotion, noting that it would pay particular attention to communications disseminated through sponsorships, billboards, LED displays and other media in sports settings. It further noted that even a formally compliant message could fall outside the exemption if it creates an advertising link to the gambling offering.
Meanwhile, the tax treatment of infotainment arrangements has been tightened. Legislation approved in September makes certain sponsorships and analogous contracts involving operators’ informational or odds-comparison services non-deductible for IRES and IRAP purposes. Thus, infotainment deals are not only on AGCOM’s radar but are similarly facing scrutiny from other Italian authorities.
It also remains to be seen whether AGCOM will grant a grace period allowing clubs and betting brands to finish or phase out their existing multi-year contracts, under former guidelines.
Taken together, if AGCOM adopts a strict stance in its final guidelines and enforcement, the commercial appeal of infotainment partnerships like these in place today will diminish.
The infotainment loophole may have spread to Brazil, as football sides in the nation utilised the workaround this week in the wake of the nation's provisional online betting ban
