TAR Sicilia refers lotto concession revocation case to TAR Lazio

The TAR Sicilia, Catania section, has ruled that it lacks jurisdiction over a dispute concerning the revocation of a lotto collection concession, according to a PressGiochi report. The revocation was issued by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) over late payment of proceeds. The decision is contained in an order issued on 22 October 2026 by the Fourth Section of the Sicilian administrative court, in proceedings brought by a concessionaire against ADM's Direzione Territoriale Sicilia. The case can be refiled before the TAR Lazio, which the court identified as competent for this type of dispute.

The dispute centres on the ADM measure revoking the lotto collection concession, which also provided for forfeiture of the deposit and partial calling of the surety policy for €2,850. The concessionaire challenged the measure, seeking its suspension and annulment together with the underlying acts, including the findings on late payments and the acts opening the proceedings. During the proceedings, ADM raised the lack of jurisdiction of the TAR Sicilia, arguing that the dispute fell within the mandatory functional jurisdiction of the TAR Lazio, seated in Rome, for matters concerning measures on public games with cash prizes.

The Sicilian court upheld ADM's objection, citing constitutional and administrative case law. The judges said the Constitutional Court's 2014 ruling, concerning authorisation measures by local public security authorities, did not remove the TAR Lazio's jurisdiction over other disputes concerning measures of the Monopolies Administration on public games. The TAR Sicilia also cited earlier decisions of its own and of the TAR Lazio, including a case concerning revocation of a concession over omissions and delays in paying lotto proceeds, and a recent orientation of the Consiglio di Stato. The proceedings can therefore continue before the administrative court in Rome, within the time limits set by law.