A new Italian responsible gambling app was presented at the Enada Spring 2026 trade fair in Rimini. The free and anonymous app, called “Usa la Testa” or “Use Your Head” in English, is designed to offer self-assessment tests, timers, informational content and access to local support services.
Professor Gianluca Bruti, President of EurekAcademy ETS and PhD in Neuroscience and Maxillofacial Surgery at Sapienza University of Rome, stated: “Simple, accessible digital tools can offer useful support for prevention, helping people develop greater awareness of their behaviour and, if necessary, seek support services and pathways. Awareness is the first step in distinguishing between responsible gambling and pathological behaviour.”
A central feature of the app is the test based on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, which provides users with an initial classification into four risk profiles.
The app also aims to help users monitor their behaviour and recognise early warning signs of harmful gambling patterns. Future updates are expected to add additional tools, including an informational chatbot and educational content.
Mara Di Lecce, Director of Communications and Marketing at Novomatic Italia, stated: “With ‘Usa la Testa’ we wanted to provide people with a concrete, immediate and accessible tool designed to support a more conscious relationship with gambling.
“The goal is to offer simple and anonymous support that promotes information, self-awareness and guidance based on shared responsibility and attention to the player. We chose a light and non-intrusive technology that can be used independently.”
Former Italy international goalkeeper Walter Zenga, now an ambassador for Novomatic Italia, also supported the initiative. He said responsible gambling requires balance and awareness and compared the approach to discipline and structure in sport.
The Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) has published its quarterly Statistical Bulletin, showing that the gambling sector contributed €11.47bn ($13.40bn) to the state budget in 2025, a slight 0.74% year-on-year decrease
