Italian Parliament clashes over land-based gaming reform
Italy’s reform of land-based gambling has entered the most delicate phase of the country’s political debate. In the Chamber of Deputies, the majority and opposition parties have clashed over motions on the future of public gambling, a sector set to face one of its most significant regulatory transformations in recent years.
The debate comes as the government works to complete the fiscal delegation, following its first intervention in the online sector through Legislative Decree 41/2024 on the reorganisation of remote gambling. The next step concerns the land-based network: retail outlets, concessions, territorial distribution, and relations between the State, Regions, and local authorities.
At the heart of the dispute is an issue affecting the entire European gaming industry: how to strike a balance between a competitive regulated market, the fight against illegal operators, and the protection of the most vulnerable consumers.
Opposition parties have mainly criticised the government’s decision to propose a common reformulation of the commitments contained in the various parliamentary motions. According to minority groups, complex issues such as prevention, public health, and supply regulation would require more incisive measures. The majority, by contrast, has defended the path set out in the enabling law, arguing that prohibitionist approaches should be avoided in favour of uniform rules, technology, and greater responsibility among licensed operators.
Italia Viva: completing the reform and ensuring regulatory stability
Among the opposition speakers, Roberto Giachetti of Italia Viva stressed the need to complete the sector’s reorganisation, while also recognising the economic role of Italy’s public gambling market.
“Our motion concerns a sensitive issue: public gambling and the prevention of addiction. Data from the report by the Ministry of Economy and Finance confirms the importance of the sector: in 2025, stakes exceeded €164 billion,” Giachetti said during the parliamentary debate.
For Italia Viva, completing the fiscal delegation is a fundamental step towards overcoming years of extensions and building a more stable framework for businesses, institutions, and consumers. The reform of the land-based network should therefore provide certainty for licensed operators, while also strengthening prevention and control tools.
In his speech, Giachetti also referred to the role of technology. Artificial intelligence and new digital tools could become allies in identifying problematic behaviour, improving self-exclusion systems, and increasing player protection. Particular attention is also being paid to younger people, including the issue of loot boxes in video games and the need to monitor digital phenomena that pose new regulatory challenges.
Opposition parties question economic growth and social impact
The strongest criticism of the current model came from the Greens and Left Alliance (Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra – AVS) and the Five Star Movement (Movimento 5 Stelle – M5S), which shifted the debate from an industrial level to a social one.
Devis Dori, speaking for AVS on the motion tabled by Luana Zanella, highlighted the sector’s strong growth: “The gambling market in Italy continues to expand at a sustained pace and confirms itself as one of the most dynamic sectors of the national economy,” he said.
According to the data cited during the discussion, total stakes in public gambling reached around €165 billion in 2025, while the online channel exceeded €100 billion. For the opposition, these figures confirm the sector’s industrial weight but also raise questions about the relationship among tax revenue, the spread of gambling supply, and social costs. AVS is therefore calling for greater attention to prevention, the role of local authorities, data transparency, and tools to combat gambling disorder.
M5S: “Health must be the priority”
The M5S, through an intervention by Deputy Andrea Quartini, focused its position mainly on the health impact of the phenomenon.
“Today we are talking about a serious issue, we are talking about health, which in our country concerns at least one and a half million people, and about gambling,” Quartini said.
According to the M5S, public gambling cannot be assessed solely on the basis of the sector’s economic contribution, but must also take into account the consequences for the most vulnerable people and their families. The deputy highlighted a tension between fiscal objectives and health protection: “There is an obvious contradiction between cash needs and health needs,” he said.
For the M5S, stronger prevention tools, a greater role for public health, and effective controls against underage gambling and unauthorised operators are needed.
Italy’s Azione party calls for a clearer national framework
A position centred mainly on the need for regulatory certainty was advanced by Giulio Cesare Sottanelli of Azione. The deputy referred to one of the historic weaknesses of the Italian market: the fragmentation of rules.
“Today, we do not have a consolidated text that brings together all gambling regulations. This creates uncertainty both for operators and businesses, and for those responsible for controls,” he explained.
According to Azione, the reorganisation of the land-based network should focus on more uniform national rules to overcome the territorial differences that have created interpretative difficulties over the years.
Sottanelli also highlighted the problem of illegal online gambling, citing an estimate of around €30 billion attributable to unauthorised platforms. From this perspective, the challenge is to allow the State to maintain its capacity for control, even in an increasingly digital and international market.
Majority backs responsible regulation over prohibitionism
The majority defended the path the government took. For Forward Italy (Forza Italia – FI), deputy Fabrizio Sala argued that the sector should be addressed without ideological approaches.
“We say no to prohibitionism and no to uncontrolled liberalisation: the path is responsible regulation,” he said.
According to Sala, gambling is a phenomenon that must be regulated with effective rules, because reducing the legal space risks strengthening clandestine operators. “When the State retreats, gambling does not disappear: illegal gambling advances and, where illegal gambling arrives, the mafias arrive,” he added.
The League also expressed support for a model based on control and responsibility. Andrea De Bertoldi referred to the principle of individual freedom, while also stressing the need to ensure that the new structure does not penalise Italian small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector.
Brothers of Italy: the reform is already underway
Luciano Ciocchetti of Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia – FdI) closed the majority’s position, defending the work launched through the fiscal delegation. “We are not lacking political direction, contrary to what has been said,” he stated.
According to Ciocchetti, Law 111/2023 has already defined the general path of the reform, and the Government must now complete the reorganisation of the land-based network through discussions with the Regions and local authorities. The deputy also recalled the historic role of regulation in the fight against the clandestine market. “I want to recall that the progressive legalisation of public gambling was created to limit gambling managed by the mafia,” he explained.
For Giorgia Meloni’s party, FdI, the main challenge will be striking a balance among health protection, the fight against illegality, and the maintenance of a regulated supply.
Italy’s challenge between technology, market, and protection
The debate in the Chamber confirms that the reform of land-based gambling represents one of the most important steps for the future of the Italian sector. Italy remains one of Europe’s main regulated markets, and the decisions made in the coming months will be closely watched by the international iGaming industry.
On the one hand, there is a need to strengthen prevention, consumer protection, and public control. On the other hand, there is a need to ensure regulatory stability for licensed operators and to keep the legal market competitive. The new balance will depend on the State’s ability to develop regulations that integrate technology, social responsibility, and enforcement against illegal operators.
The reform of the land-based network will therefore define not only the future of public gambling in Italy but also the country’s role in the wider European regulated gaming landscape.
This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 19 June 2026.
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