Forbes and SiGMA launch the Top 50 of Italy’s regulated gaming sector
In highly regulated industries, growth is measured by more than revenue or market share. The sector must balance commercial performance with regulatory compliance and sustainability.
This balance point tests the industry’s capacity to align innovation with regulatory responsibility and economic interests with compliance requirements. Italy’s regulated gaming sector is currently dealing with these challenges while it adapts to developing market and policy conditions.
Top 50 as a lens on a complex ecosystem
Forbes Italia, in partnership with SiGMA Group, has launched the Top 50 Regulated Gaming Italy. The initiative is created to recognise individuals who are actively influencing the sector’s development.
This is not a conventional ranking or branding exercise. The objective is to highlight individuals who contribute to the sector’s structural advancement and sustained long-term viability.
Four drivers of change: regulation, technology, responsibility and narrative
The selected categories reflect the key forces currently guiding the industry.
Regulatory pioneers are individuals who rarely attract public attention, but without whom the system would simply not function. Legal experts, compliance professionals and regulatory specialists who, over the years, have built – piece by piece – the system underpinning Italy’s regulated gaming sector.
Technological innovation is also a key driver, with artificial intelligence, data analytics, and advanced security infrastructure developing new industry standards. These developments seek to improve transparency, traceability, and sustainability across the sector.
Responsible gaming has become a central focus, with professionals developing prevention strategies, monitoring tools, and early intervention models. Addressing the risks inherent in gaming is now a crucial demand for operators and regulators.
Academics, researchers, analysts, and media professionals also perform a major role in shaping industry discourse. High-quality information supports informed decision-making and helps maintain balanced perspectives in a complex oversight environment.
SiGMA’s role: a global stage for dialogue
The partnership between Forbes Italia and SiGMA Group reflects the sector’s need for collaboration across industry, technology, and regulation. SiGMA Group, founded by Eman Pulis, has expanded its activities to serve as a global platform promoting dialogue and industry development.
SiGMA conferences, held in multiple countries, provide a forum where industry, technology, and regulatory stakeholders engage in substantive discussions beyond networking.
Pulis has emphasised this repeatedly: without dialogue, imbalances emerge, and those imbalances ultimately affect everyone. This principle is reflected in the Top 50’s logic, which does not aim to isolate individual excellence but to present the system as a whole.
This approach is particularly relevant in Italy, where the regulated gaming market is among the largest in Europe but experiences ongoing regulatory challenges and public oversight. Featuring the individuals driving the sector delivers valuable insight beyond financial metrics.
The quality and integrity of the industry depend on the expertise of those who develop regulations, implement compliance, lead innovation, and sustain responsible practices.
Rome 2026: a roadmap for the sector’s future
The timing of the Top 50 is strategic, with publication set for several weeks before SiGMA World 2026 in Rome, scheduled for 2 to 5 November.
Releasing the list in advance means arriving at the event with a map already in place: names, expertise, perspectives. A way of orienting the discussion even before it begins in person.
At SiGMA World 2026, which will attract operators, investors, and institutions from around the world, the Top 50 list is expected to serve as a practical resource for those assessing the Italian market.
The initiative strives to provide insight into the future direction of the sector, rather than simply documenting its current state.
The future of regulated gaming in Italy remains a key question for industry actors.
The outcome will depend not only on policy and market dynamics but also on the sector’s ability to balance competing concerns and objectives.
While the Top 50 does not offer a definitive answer, it highlights the individuals currently driving the sector’s development.
All roads lead to the mother of all conferences in Rome from 02 to 05 November 2026. SiGMA World takes over Fiera Roma, bringing together 30,000 delegates, 1,000+ exhibitors, and 550+ expert speakers. This is where the right room can change your roadmap.
