Fondazione FAIR director outlines responsible gambling priorities at 2026 forum

Stefano De Vita, director-general of Fondazione FAIR, set out four priorities for responsible gambling in closing remarks at the foundation's Forum 2026: research, public-interest communication, consistency in the gambling offer and player protection. He said responsible gambling cannot remain a statement of intent but must translate into verifiable behaviour, effective tools and communication that also reaches those who view the sector with distrust.

De Vita opened his remarks with two figures: 80% of people consider responsible gambling fundamental, while 60% do not believe in it. He said this contradiction shows the need to understand the reasons for the distrust and to change how the sector addresses player protection.

On research, De Vita said it must be the basis of any responsibility strategy, and that collecting data is not enough: the data must be used to understand behaviour, identify differences between players and recognise risk factors. He said one size does not fit all and that responses must start from an analysis of people's characteristics and behaviour.

On communication, he distinguished communication about responsible gambling from advertising, describing the former as social communication aimed at helping people understand what to do and which behaviour to adopt. He said such communication must be clear and transparent and must correspond to the actual gambling offer, so that a player can find on the site and in the services used what was promised.

De Vita also said the sector must acknowledge the possible negative effects of gambling, stating that gambling can be harmful and that denying or playing down this aspect would widen the gap between the gambling world and the rest of society. He called for a cultural change across all levels of the sector that treats protection of people as a substantive part of responsibility policies.

He urged the sector to open dialogue with those who do not want to speak to it, saying it should have the courage to talk with people who know the social and economic difficulties that can accompany problematic gambling. In his conclusion he said companies must be willing to reconsider economic logic when revenue comes from people in serious difficulty, and to give up part of the profit if that profit derives from people who are ruining themselves.