Italy retail gambling groups seek interim measures as concessions near expiry

Retail gambling associations in Italy are seeking interim support measures for land-based businesses before concessions covering betting, bingo, amusement with prizes and video lottery terminals expire on 31 December 2026. The groups are still waiting for a reform of the retail market that has been promised for some time.

The decree intended to reorganise the retail gambling sector and set the framework for new tenders was shelved after missing the government's 29 August deadline. A further extension of current arrangements is widely anticipated, which could leave the retail network in the uncertainty that has persisted for several years, according to the report.

Betting shops are represented by Associazione Gestori Scommesse Italia (AGSI), and that body has asked the government for stopgap aid covering gaming machines, horse racing and sports betting while the launch of new concession tenders is pending. Pasquale Chiacchio, the association's president, told the Italian trade publication Jamma: "Gaming machines, horse racing and betting cannot wait three years."

In AGSI's view, the interval before fresh tenders are held should serve to strengthen the competitive position of retail outlets, and one route it proposes is adding products that betting agencies and authorised venues would be permitted to sell. As an illustration of how innovation can sustain the retail network, Chiacchio pointed to the 1998-1999 pilot programme that brought sports betting into horse racing agencies.

A further request from the association is a consultation forum in which government representatives, public institutions and industry stakeholders would work together, with drafting of the tender requirements starting straight away. Smaller and medium-sized operators should be able to compete with larger groups under the future framework, AGSI argues, and it favours a more evenly spread national retail network run by trained staff, citing Campania's regional legislation as a possible template.

These worries echo a wider perception among industry figures of an increasing gap between Italy's online and retail gambling markets. Online operators already work within a new concession framework, and further rules take effect on November 13, whereas the retail segment has seen no reform start, even though it still provides roughly three-quarters of a market worth over €21bn.