The Italian Prime Minister's Office has sent the draft decree for the reorganisation of the country's land-based gambling sector back. The proposed reform, developed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), had already received approval from the Unified Conference.
However, the Prime Minister's intervention has stalled the process, raising concerns among stakeholders as the 29 August deadline for the government's delegation draws closer.
The Italian Tobacconists Federation (FIT) expressed its disappointment, stating: "We cannot envision a future for our betting shops without serious regulatory reform aimed at safeguarding the full range of land-based gaming. One way or another, the rules that currently (poorly) govern our segment need to be changed and we must do so as soon as possible."
FIT claims that with less than three months remaining before the delegation expires, the prospects of securing final approval appear uncertain. It also notes that if consensus could not be reached after two years of negotiations and consultations, achieving an agreement within a matter of weeks will be challenging.
In May, Democratic Party MPs Stefano Vaccari and Virginio Merola submitted a resolution to the Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, calling on the Government to speed up the reform. The document called for the completion of the legislative decree on the restructuring of physical gambling by 29 August.
Meanwhile, Italy’s gambling market reached a record €165.34bn ($192.5bn) in total volume for 2025. This was reported in the fourth edition of the Black Book on Gambling, produced by CGIL, Federconsumatori and the ISSCON Foundation.
State revenue from gaming machines declined from €5.66bn in 2023 to €5.24bn in 2025, a drop of 7.4%, according to the 2025 Tax Revenue Bulletin from Italy’s Department of Finance
