A CGIA Mestre and AS.TRO study estimated that Italy’s legal AWP and VLT sector supported 39,716 jobs and involved 49,405 businesses at the end of 2025. The estimate excludes concessionaire employees and covers dedicated venues, management companies, manufacturers and allocated employment in mixed businesses.
Regulators and investors should account for 39,716 jobs and 49,405 businesses tied to Italy’s legal AWP and VLT sector.
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ADMIRAL Gaming Network said proposed measures in Italy’s 2027 budget would reduce AWP revenue by 10% and VLT revenue by 15% from 1 January 2027, while raising VLT concession fees by 25%. The company warned the changes could weaken the authorised retail network and employment, and asked the government to discuss the measures before the budget is finalised.
University of Salerno researcher Valentina Cucciniello said at SiGMA Central Europe in Rome that AWP and VLT machines generated over 5 billion euros in tax revenue, equal to 44% of public gambling revenue. She said the network comprised between 220mila and 230mila AWP machines and about 55mila VLTs, while machine stakes had fallen by almost 35% from 2019.
Valentina Cucciniello, a researcher at the University of Salerno, spoke at SiGMA Central Europe in Rome. She said AWP and VLT machines generated more than €5bn in tax revenue, equal to 44% of total public gambling revenue.
STS-FIT president Emilio Zamparelli said a proposed tax increase on AWP and VLT machines in Italy’s 2027 budget may not raise more state revenue. He argued that higher PREU could reduce retailers’ compensation and suggested reviewing machine payout levels as an alternative.
A possible new tax rise on AWP and VLT gaming machines, linked to the 2027 budget, raises doubts about whether it would really increase state revenue. Emilio Zamparelli, president of STS-FIT, spoke on the issue. He did so at the SiGMA Central Europe Summit in Rome on 3 November.
Italy’s 2027 budget provides for paid extensions of betting, AWP and VLT concessions until 31 December 2029, according to a report on the bill. The government estimates revenue of about €343.5m from physical betting concessions, plus €36.45m from AWP and about €463m from VLT; concession charges will rise by 50% against earlier parameters.
The technical report on the 2027 budget law sets out the financial effects of provisions that change how long concessions last for betting and for the telematic networks of cash-prize entertainment machines. Under the measure, both types of concession run until 31 December 2029. Concession holders must pay fees that are 50% higher than the parameters set earlier. The concessions now in place end on 31 December 2026, and the paid extension carries them to 31 December 2029.
Italy’s 2027 budget bill proposes raising the PREU tax on AWP from 24% to 25% and on VLT from 8.6% to 9.6%, according to its technical report. The government forecasts additional revenue of €334m in 2027, €365m in 2028 and €456m annually from 2029, plus €15m in 2027 from registering machines that do not pay cash winnings.
Italy's 2027 budget bill proposes raising the single tax on gaming machines, with the technical report accompanying the draft law setting out the expected revenue effects. Article 23 of the bill would increase the PREU by one percentage point, from 24% to 25% for AWP machines and from 8.6% to 9.6% for VLTs, according to the report. The government forecasts additional revenue of €334m in 2027, €365m in 2028 and €456m a year from 2029, plus €15m in 2027 from the regularisation of machines that do not pay cash winnings.