Italy weighs gambling tax and concession options for 2027 budget

Italy's government and the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) are in the final stages of defining a package of gambling measures for the 2027 budget, according to reports. The options under review include a one percentage point increase in the PREU on slots and VLTs, higher charges for three-year extensions of expiring concessions, and several possible arrangements for the Gratta e Vinci concession. No decision has been taken, and the measures are still being assessed.

The package is intended to raise revenue of more than €718m, the figure expressly indicated in the budget planning document sent to Brussels and to the chambers, and could approach €1bn. Three possible scenarios are taking shape, differing in the combination of measures and their contribution to funding. A one percentage point rise in the Prelievo erariale unico (PREU) on slots and VLTs is among the options examined and would be one of the measures with the largest revenue effect; a scenario without a PREU adjustment was also considered but is described as weaker in the comparison of solutions on the table.

The second measure of greatest economic weight concerns the expiring concessions for betting, slot and VLT machines and bingo. The new extensions are expected to carry charges significantly higher than previous ones, in response to the government's request for more resources. The amounts remain to be defined, while the duration of the extensions would be three years of validity for the current machine, bingo and sports betting concessions.

For Gratta e Vinci, whose concession expires in September 2028, the idea of including it among the concessions subject to a three-year extension is described as increasingly strong, with a payment proportionate to the base price of the future tender. Technicians have indicated three different hypotheses for that base price, and the choice of the initial value remains one of the open elements in assessing the concession's contribution to the budget's revenue.

On online gambling, the tax neutrality referred to in the framework of the new concessions remains central, and the compatibility of any changes with it will have to be assessed. The indications gathered point to adjustments of limited scope whose nature is not yet defined. The discussion follows earlier hypotheses on revenue from gambling and on concessions that emerged during preparation of the budget.