Italy's Council of Ministers has reportedly received a document on reorganising land-based gambling, according to institutional sources cited in the report. The document is awaiting inclusion on the agenda of an upcoming government meeting, though the timing is uncertain.
The agenda decision will determine when the proposed land-based gambling reorganisation proceeds for government consideration.
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Italy’s proposed reform of land-based gambling reportedly stalled after the implementing decree failed to secure approval from the Prime Minister’s Office, according to the report. The disputed rules concerned distances between gambling venues and sensitive sites; the delay could require further extensions of expired concessions. Estimates cited in the report said wider distance requirements could reduce public revenue by more than €1.2 billion.
ACADI president Geronimo Cardia said at SiGMA World 2026 that operators need a reorganisation of Italy’s land-based gambling rules before investing in technology. He cited differing payout rates of 98% online and 67% in retail, and said land-based operators were awaiting tenders while facing restrictions that he argued could shift play online.
Geronimo Cardia, president of ACADI, said Italy's rules for land-based and online gambling differ in ways that affect how long players spend gambling, speaking on the final day of SiGMA World 2026. Cardia said the legislator set a payout rate of 98% online and 67% for land-based gambling. He said land-based play therefore involves less time than online play. He said 130,000 people work in land-based operations and health assistance and remain attentive to the problem. Cardia said staff training has so far been central and effective in qualifying the offer. He said land-based operations, not only online, could use AI to introduce player monitoring systems while respecting privacy.
Luca Giacobbe said Italy’s Legislative Decree 41/2024 advanced responsible-gambling rules for online play but left inconsistencies with land-based gambling. Speaking at a gaming-industry panel, he also pointed to overlapping rules, obligations and authorities.
Luca Giacobbe, founder of Giacobbe & Associati, said Legislative Decree 41/2024 marks a turning point for responsible-gambling rules in Italy. He said two problems remain: overlapping rules, obligations and competent authorities, and the lack of an equally organic update path for land-based gambling. Giacobbe spoke on the panel "Bet on Sustainability: What Future-Proof Gaming Looks Like".
Luca Giacobbe, founder of Giacobbe & Associati, said at SiGMA World Summit 2026 in Rome that the lack of a regulatory overhaul had left land-based gambling without a coherent regulatory and technological direction. He also argued that rules and authorities overlap, while Decree 41 sets responsible gambling obligations for operators.
Bull Gaming CEO Francesco Gatti said at SiGMA Central Europe in Rome on 3 November 2026 that proposed 2027 budget measures would raise PREU by one percentage point on AWP and VLT machines. He argued the increase could harm a sector already facing higher tax pressure, while describing possible new AWP technology with a payout of up to 70% as an opportunity for renewal.
Francesco Gatti, chief executive of Bull Gaming, said at SiGMA Central Europe in Rome on 3 November 2026 that land-based gaming matters for employment and local economies as well as for tax revenue. He was referring to measures in the 2027 budget law that provide for a one percentage point rise in the single tax on gaming (PREU) on AWP and VLT machines.