A court in Brindisi annulled an administrative order against a business over a device described as a rotating LED machine. The court found that an electrical connection and coin slot alone did not establish that the device was used for gambling; it also annulled the confiscation and temporary closure measures.
The ruling requires enforcement bodies to establish a device’s gaming functions before applying sanctions.
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A court in Pistoia heard further evidence in the End Game trial, which concerns alleged money laundering, tax fraud and organised crime in Tuscany. A Guardia di Finanza officer described a business network linked to Hu YunYie; the charges in the Pistoia strand include alleged unauthorised betting activity.
Italy’s Constitutional Court ruled that the fixed €50,000 minimum sanction for breaches of the gambling advertising ban was illegitimate, according to lawyer Stefano Sbordoni’s account of the decision. Sbordoni said the minimum prevented sanctions from reflecting differences in the seriousness of violations; broader questions about the ban remain open.
The Constitutional Court ruling in judgment 172 of 2026 concerns the sanctions regime set by the Decreto Dignità for violations of the ban on gambling advertising, according to lawyer Stefano Sbordoni. Sbordoni said the fixed minimum sanction of 50.000 euro applied the same penalty to conduct of very different gravity, leaving no room to weigh the actual harmfulness, the specific circumstances or the economic conditions of the sanctioned party.
Italy’s Court of Cassation ruled that betting operators outside the national totalisator can use the ordinary tax method if they provide accounting evidence of bets, winnings and costs. The court rejected the appeal because the parties had not submitted that documentation; the ruling concerns the application of the margin-based method under the 2015 law.
The Bari Court of Appeal annulled a €20k fine that the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli imposed on a shop owner for providing computers for online gambling. The court cited Constitutional Court ruling 104/2025, which found the Balduzzi decree's ban unlawful. The fine followed a 2016 police check that found nine internet-connected computers.
The Bari Court of Appeal annulled a €20,000 fine imposed by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) on the owner of a commercial premises for making personal computers available to customers for access to online gambling platforms. The court's First Civil Section upheld the owner's appeal, assisted by lawyer Mariateresa Parrelli, and set aside the earlier decision of the Tribunale di Bari.
The Florence Tribunal annulled two ADM sanction orders against owners and operators of gaming machines installed on passenger cruise ships, in rulings issued on 7 and 22 August 2026. The court found that the evidence did not establish that machines were usable during port stays, including where inspection records lacked specific technical checks, according to the report.