FIT cites Italian gaming figures to question effects of restrictions
Regulation2 min read
The Italian Federation of Tobacconists used figures presented at the ACADI 2026 forum to question whether venue-distance and operating-hour restrictions shift player demand to other products or channels. It said the 2025 public gaming sector generated €28.03 billion in value added and €11.5 billion in tax revenue, while total stakes rose from €106.8 billion in 2018 to €165.4 billion in 2025.
Italy's Federation of Tobacconists, FIT, questioned whether venue-distance and operating-hour restrictions protect players or shift demand to other products and channels. The association cited figures from a sector sustainability assessment presented at the ACADI 2026 forum in Rome on 7 October.
Total stakes rose from €106.8bn to €165.4bn, a 54.9% increase, while machine stakes dropped from €48.7bn to €31.5bn, FIT said. Player spending increased from €18.9bn to €21.7bn across the sector but declined from €10.3bn to €7.8bn on machines.
FIT said public gaming generated €28.03bn in value added in 2025, equivalent to 1.24% of national GDP, and €11.5bn in tax revenue. Sector tax revenue declined from €11.6bn in 2024 to €11.5bn in 2025, while player spending increased from €21.5bn to €21.7bn, FIT said.
Total tax revenue rose from €10.7bn in 2018 to €11.5bn in 2025, an increase Sara Nicolini of Netwin Italia described as apparent. Over that period, tax revenue from land-based gambling fell from €9.8bn to €8.9bn and revenue from machines fell from €6.2bn to €5bn.
The number of municipalities reached by the general retail network, which includes tobacconists, fell by 527 from 2018, while those served by the specialised network fell by 135, FIT said. FIT said 662 municipalities were no longer covered by legal gambling provision. ACADI president Geronimo Cardia warned that reduced legal provision risked leaving room for illegal gambling.
Employment across the sector stood at 145mila people, down 5,000 from 2024, while the land-based network employed 135 mila, FIT said. The machine supply chain employed 70mila people, a decline of 9,500 from 2018.
Cardia called for a trial of a new class of machines and for its effects on player protection to be measured. With reform of land-based gambling still pending, ACADI called for interim measures on machine tax and payout, no further tax increases or costly concession extensions, and a permanent consultative body including associations.