Italy weighs higher slot tax and costlier gambling concession extensions

Italy's government and the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) are assessing measures for the 2027 budget that would affect the gambling sector, including a possible increase in the single tax on AWP and VLT machines of between 0.5% and 0.7%, according to a report. The proposal is reported to be meeting reservations both within part of the political majority and in technical assessments at the ADM. The options remain under discussion and no decision has been taken.

The report says the discussions centre on the effect of a further increase in the tax burden on a segment already subject to a high levy. An alternative under consideration is to change the taxation of online gambling. Officials are also reported to be weighing a different distribution of the contribution required from the sector by adjusting the amounts for costly extensions of expiring concessions, with a three-year duration among the options circulated. That option could mean a higher outlay for concessionaires than the sums initially envisaged, affecting in particular the machines, betting and bingo segments.

The future of the Gratta e Vinci concession is also among the matters under examination, with several solutions being considered in relation to its 2028 expiry; the report describes this as one of the options regarded as most feasible. Talks between the government and technical bodies are continuing on several options, with the aim of finding the financial cover required by the budget law while taking account of the economic effects of the measures on companies in the sector. The assessments are still in progress and the final framework will depend on the choices made in the concluding phase of preparing the budget.