When it was first announced that Italy was in the process of reviewing and amending its Gambling Act, it caused quite a stir with the revelation that licensing would increase thirty-fivefold from its original 2018 cost of €200,000.

The latest submission by the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) showed that this increased price has been maintained and included insights into other amendments to the existing gambling framework.

Highlights of the ADM Framework

While several steps remain between the ADM’s proposal and its entry into force, some interesting amendments could have a lasting impact on the country’s legal gambling sector.

The proposal highlights include:

1. Licensing Fees: New and existing licensees must pay €7 million to offer games of chance and betting in Italy. The license will, however, be valid for 9 years.
2. Limited Use: The new licenses limit each concessionaire to operating only a single website. This will eliminate the presence of casino skin and (some) turnkey solutions in the region.
3. Product Activation: While each concessionaire may only operate a single website, they can activate apps for various products, including casino, bingo, poker and betting. These multiple products can be assigned to a single website.

Given the risk presented by security hacks, the new framework focuses heavily on increased monitoring of the security of databases, personal information centres, and game integration, with a demand for trusted external audits.

 The Road to Approval and Implementation

The ADM has submitted its proposed framework to the Italian Treasury. The Treasury and the Council of State will then review the Gambling Act and respond with their comments. Should they approve of the amendments, it will stand as the binding proposal for the country.

In the interim, the Ministry of Made in Italy (formerly the Ministry of Enterprise) will formulate a decree outlining the technical specifications of the framework. The European Commission will review this document and judge whether it meets the free-trade requirements of the European Union and its member states.

 Only once the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (MEF) has signed off on the technical review will the new framework receive final government approval and be put into force.

The ADM has confirmed that it will allow existing operators a six-month window to update their internal processes to comply with the new framework.

 Top Italian online casinos

While we wait to hear if the various stakeholders approve the new licensing and operating standards regime, why not jump into action and claim a new welcome bonus today? In our dedicated Italian online casino section, we have rated and reviewed some of the best venues in the region.

Once you have tried them for yourself, please leave a rating and a short review of your own to let us and the GamblersPick Community know how they have treated you. It is a great way to inform us and your peers of rising stars and sites to avoid.