ACMI asks Italy to assess 2027 budget effects on gaming chain

ACMI, the Italian association for gaming machines, has asked the government and parliament to accompany public gambling measures in the 2027 budget law with an assessment of their impact on chain margins, companies' investment capacity and the competitiveness of AWP and VLT machines. The association proposed an institutional discussion linking revenue decisions to a path of innovation and protection of people.

Gennaro Parlati, president of ACMI, said the sustainability of revenue also depends on the strength of the legal network and the companies that make it up. He said assessing a new charge means considering its effects on the whole chain, on the resources available to develop products and on the ability of machines to compete with other gambling offers.

According to ACMI, the analysis should distinguish the economic characteristics of the different products and channels, taking into account management costs and the investments needed for technological development. Expected effects on revenue should be examined together with possible consequences for collection and for the margins of the different parts of the chain.

Alongside its intervention on the budget measure, ACMI put forward a work proposal drawing on the expertise of builders, producers and developers. The path covers the evolution of machines and the testing of solutions to verify age and encourage informed gambling choices, with results to be measured using shared criteria in compliance with the regulatory framework.

Parlati said machines must offer a competitive gambling experience and support the economy of the authorised network, and that innovation must pursue these objectives together with the protection of minors and consumers. He said stable rules and conditions are needed to allow companies to invest in that direction.

ACMI asked for a dedicated discussion with the government and parliament, involving ADM and representatives of the chain, to examine the economic effects of the measures under study and to define objectives and criteria for verifying the technology proposals. The association offered its industrial expertise to contribute to the process.

Parlati confirmed ACMI's availability to contribute to the country system and to public finance objectives, provided companies are assured economic sustainability, adequate profitability and certainty of rules. He said preserving the capacity to invest, innovate and support employment is part of the same general interest.