Rodolfo Lena criticises Italy budget measures on slots and lotteries
Regulation2 min read
Rodolfo Lena, vice-president of the Lazio Regional Council’s health and social policy commission, criticised gambling measures in Italy’s budget law. The proposals would double maximum slot stakes and winnings and introduce a fifth weekly Lotto and SuperEnalotto draw; Lena cited €17.45bn in gambling volume and €2.14bn in net losses in Lazio during 2025.
Rodolfo Lena, vice-president of the Lazio Regional Council’s health and social policy commission, has criticised gambling measures in Italy’s budget law. The proposals would double maximum slot stakes and winnings and introduce a fifth weekly draw for Lotto and SuperEnalotto. Lena said state gambling revenue comes at a cost to families and increases social and healthcare costs.
In Lazio, gambling volume reached €17.45bn in 2025, up 4.6% from 2024, while residents’ net losses totalled €2.14bn, or €375 per person. National figures cited by Lena estimated that, among 18 million people who gambled, 5.5 million gambled habitually and 1.5 million had a gambling disorder.
Lazio had an estimated 180,000 people with gambling problems, while the number receiving help from public services rose to 1,129 in 2025 from 974 in 2024 and 753 in 2022. The region allocated €29.08m for 2025 to 2027 to tackle all addictions, while a recent merger of the regional observatory has reportedly made it harder to monitor gambling disorder specifically.
Adolescent gambling has reportedly grown for four consecutive years. Despite legal prohibitions, about six in 10 students, equivalent to 900,000 minors, have gambled before the age of 18. The digital channel’s share of the overall market rose from 33% to 61% over seven years, while more than 180,000 minors now bet online regularly. Requests for help from local services have reportedly risen.
Lena called for state measures to discourage gambling and limit opportunities to gamble.