Donato Gallo petition seeks removal of Italy budget bill article 25
Regulation2 min read
Donato Gallo launched a petition on 6 November asking Italy’s parliament to remove article 25 from the 2027 budget bill and open talks with LAN venue operators. The appeal says the proposal would impose annual charges of €1,200 per PC or console and €2,000 per simulator, alongside licensing and platform requirements. These are claims made in the petition, not a description of an enacted measure.
A petition challenging article 25 of Italy’s 2027 budget bill has been launched, according to AGIMEG. Donato Gallo promoted the initiative, which was created on 6 November.
The petition says the proposal would apply public security legislation used for slot machines to PCs, consoles and driving simulators, placing them under ADM oversight. It says annual charges would be €1,200 for each PC or console and €2,000 for each simulator. The petition says the charges apply an 8% entertainment tax to assumed annual receipts of €15,000 per PC and €25,000 per driving simulator. It says operators would pay €1,000 for a venue licence and €200 per PC every two years.
The petition says online platforms would pay €10,000 per platform and €2,000 per game, with unauthorised games blocked and records kept for five years. It says a government technical report anticipates authorisation of 10 games across five platforms in Italy in 2027. The petition says ADM would set limits on entry fees and prizes for skill tournaments and retain up to 8% of participation fees.
The petition claims that operators must keep each PC’s online activity history for five years and that the measure allows restrictions or bans on venue access for people under 18. By contrast, article 25 of the text before the Chamber allows minors to enter, but limits them to games suitable for their age under PEGI or an equivalent classification. It requires histories to be kept for at least five years in compliance with personal data protection law. Approvals for devices, venues, games and platforms have a two-year term. Venues already operating may remain open temporarily if the operator submits a declaration and pays entertainment tax.
The petition says the economy ministry's technical report projects 200 venues in 2027 and 2,300 venues with 46,000 active stations in 2028, alongside €66.03m in revenue in 2028. The petition says Italy currently has fewer than 30 such venues with fewer than 600 stations in total.
The petition asks parliament and the government to remove article 25 by amendment and exclude computers, consoles and simulators without cash prizes from the public security law and ADM oversight. It calls for talks with operators on a dedicated ATECO business classification and legislation for LAN venues, esports and digital gathering centres. The campaign supports an official petition filed with the Chamber of Deputies under article 50 of the constitution.