Italy's draft budget proposes extending bingo concessions to 2029 with monthly fees
Regulation2 min read
In brief
- Italy's draft 2027 budget would extend bingo concessions due to expire on 31 December 2026 until 31 December 2029.
- Monthly fees would run from €6,500 to €14,500 across 81 turnover bands, based on the prior year's turnover.
- Earlier extensions would be recalculated from 1 January 2018, with fees of €3,250 to €11,250 a month.
- The technical report estimates €26.14m in 2027, including recalculation effects.
Italy's draft 2027 budget proposes extending bingo concessions that expire on 31 December 2026 until 31 December 2029, according to the draft text. Under the proposal, each concessionaire would pay a monthly fee based on the turnover produced by each concession in the year before the year for which the amount is due, payable monthly by the tenth day of the following month.
Annual turnover would be divided into 81 bands. The first band, for annual turnover of no more than €1.2m, carries a monthly fee of €6,500. Each of the 80 following bands adds €200,000 of turnover and €100 to the fee, up to a maximum of €14,500 where annual turnover exceeds €17m. For part-months of 15 days or fewer, half the monthly amount would be due.
Turnover is defined as the total value of bingo cards bought by the concessionaire and sold in the relevant hall in the year before the year for which the fees are due. The draft also repeals article 1, comma 1047, letter b), of law 205 of 27 December 2017.
For concessions extended under earlier provisions, the draft would recalculate the fees on the same turnover basis with effect from 1 January 2018, using 81 bands with fees from €3,250 to €11,250 a month. The technical report states that amounts already paid in excess would be set against subsequent monthly payments, while amounts owed could be paid in up to 12 monthly instalments.
The technical report estimates €26.14m in 2027, including the effects of the recalculation. It puts revenue from the turnover-based fee at €21.5m in each of 2027, 2028 and 2029, and the recalculation for 2018-2026 at €4.64m in 2027. For 2026, it estimates a difference of -€5,307,800 between the fixed fee of €19,760,000 and the recalculated fee of €14,452,200.
The draft would also reduce the minimum road distance from the nearest bingo hall to 15,000 metres from 30,000 metres where a concession is transferred to another municipality. The technical report cites the Council of State's position that the Agenzia delle dogane e dei monopoli should be able to revise concession terms to preserve the balance of the original relationship, and describes turnover as an objective, traceable figure available to the administration.