Italy’s government considers gambling measures for 2027 budget

Italy's 2027 budget was due before the Council of Ministers on the afternoon of 28 October, with the government expected to set out measures affecting gambling, according to a report. The budget planning document cited in the report states that the sector should contribute €718m to the budget in 2027.

Attention centres on the measures to be defined to reach the budget target. In the hours before the meeting, reports of a possible increase in the interventions intensified, to close to €1bn in new revenue. Among the options under review were a possible rise in the Preu on video lottery terminals and an extension of retail concessions by two or three years, covering betting, bingo and machines.

Other scenarios reported included possible assessments of the Gratta e Vinci concession, measures to regularise Sale Lan (export centres), and recovery of the outstanding debt of the slot chain for the extraordinary levy introduced by the Renzi government in 2015.