ADM official urges caution as Agcom prepares infotainment guidance

Antonio Giuliani, director of the remote gambling and betting office at the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM), spoke at a panel at Sigma World in Rome. He said ADM is awaiting new Agcom guidelines on infotainment, which he expects to define how far the Italian model allows information on odds or gambling to go before it becomes promotion. Giuliani urged licensed operators to act with great care on this point.

Giuliani said responsible-gambling communications also risk going too far, and that without clear guidelines they can drift into promoting the logo, which he said ADM must avoid. He said Agcom's recent guidelines have defined more precisely the boundaries of promoting responsible gambling. Giuliani added that this approach could serve as a model for other countries.

On relations with operators, Giuliani described them as the agency's operational arm rather than a counterpart. He said ADM's oversight is collaborative and not only repressive. Giuliani said the technical rules now being discussed by operators, meant to move online gaming into a framework of security and certification, are not a way to increase State control. He said the rules are instead a way for operators to be more certain about what they offer.

On illegal gambling, Giuliani called it unfair competition and said ADM must press harder to act against illegal offers. He added that information technology offers escape routes that are difficult to stop.

On the advertising ban, Giuliani said it sometimes does not help legal operators, which he described as a known issue, but that it is absolutely necessary. He said the ban was introduced in response to excess. Giuliani said Agcom has an important role in keeping the ban in place and that ADM holds it in high regard.