Campania Regional Administrative Court upholds Bacoli betting shop licence refusal

The Campania Regional Administrative Court rejected an appeal by a company against the refusal of a public security licence for a betting shop in Bacoli, near Naples, according to judgment no. 6118 published on 29 October 2026. The refusal concerned the distance between the premises and a nearby nursery school, which was found to be below the 250-metre limit set by regional rules.

The Naples police headquarters had refused the authorisation request in May 2023 under article 88 of the TULPS, based on checks by the Bacoli municipal police. The company disputed how the distance was calculated, arguing that access points other than the buildings' main entrances had been used; its expert reports put the distance from the school at 269.70 metres using the access points it considered correct, above the limit in Campania regional law no. 2/2020.

The court found the municipal police checks reliable. The measurements returned distances of between 200 and 237 metres depending on the route considered, all below the 250-metre minimum. The court said that in identifying which entrances to use for the calculation, the actual use of access points by the school population must be considered rather than purely formal criteria; in this case it was correct to use the school's external pedestrian access, reached by a disabled ramp and a staircase, rather than the internal door indicated by the company.

On the betting shop's entrance, the judges noted that the distance between the premises' two access points was just 12 metres and that even using the one indicated by the appellant the limit under the rules would not have been met. The court therefore confirmed the refusal as lawful, citing the purpose of the regional distance rules on sensitive locations, which are aimed at preventing gambling disorder and protecting the most vulnerable groups.

The company was ordered to pay legal costs of €1,000 in favour of the state administrations and €1,000 in favour of the Municipality of Bacoli, plus ancillary charges.