EGP-FIPE warns proposed gaming tax rise could threaten 20% of Italian halls

EGP-FIPE, the association representing public establishments offering licensed games, said on 29 October 2026 that a proposed increase in tax on gaming machines would make the operation of at least 20% of Italy's specialised gaming halls uneconomic. The association based its estimate on press reports of measures under consideration by the government within the 2027 budget law. It said the reported options include a one-percentage-point rise in the single tax on gaming machines (PREU) on slots and VLTs, alongside a three-year extension of concessions for machines, betting and bingo, with higher charges than in the past. The measures remain proposals.

According to the source, the measures would sit within the goal of higher revenue from the gaming sector, quantified at €718m for 2027 in the budget planning document, while some reports suggest a possible increase in the contribution required from the sector. EGP-FIPE cited the 2025 report on the public gaming sector transmitted by the MEF, according to which the sector has recorded a progressive contraction in collections for years, with effects on state revenue, at close to 35% compared with 2019, with a loss of revenue for the Treasury of about €1.4bn over the same period.

EGP-FIPE said a further increase in the tax would risk worsening the economic difficulties of the physical network, compressing already reduced operating margins and compromising the sustainability of numerous businesses, equal to about 20% of specialised halls, which companies would be forced to close, with the consequent loss of thousands of jobs. The association said the effects would not be limited to businesses and employment: a reduction of the authorised physical network would weaken the presence of legal gaming in the territory and accelerate the transfer of demand to other channels, in particular the online channel, which it said has a significant illegal component, with direct effects on consumer protection as well as on state revenue.

On concessions, EGP-FIPE said continued recourse to costly extensions instead of starting tender procedures, hypothesised also for the instant lottery concession ("Gratta e Vinci"), for which legislative decree no. 41 of 2024 already provides for an award procedure, would produce an even wider distortion of the market. The association called for the overall effects of the measures on the public gaming chain to be assessed, so that short-term revenue needs do not compromise the sustainability of businesses and employment in the sector. It said the priority remains a stable regulatory framework, through the completion of tenders within the expected times and conditions of fair competition between operators and gaming products, safeguarding the role of the authorised physical network as a presence of legality in the territory.