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Italy plans to shrink online gaming market
The online gaming industry continues to grow worldwide but is facing some hurdles in Italy, as the government there plans to set measures to reduce the iGaming segment and cut down licences in the country from 85 to 50 by 2023.
Italy’s Five Star Movement-Democratic Party coalition government revealed plans in its first Budget Law decree. Regulator Agenzia delle dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) published the document, which also includes various other measures for the Italian gambling market.
For online gambling, licences will be priced at €2m each and will run for a period of nine years, effective from 2023. The cost will be the same for operators renewing their existing permits or those entering the market for the first time.
Other changes to the Iocal gambling market will include concessions regarding the number of gambling machines and terminals operating across the country. The government plans to permit a maximum 250,000 slot machines, 58,000 video-lottery terminals, 35,000 bars and tobacconists and 2800 gaming halls.
According to reports, the government seeks to squeeze a further €600 million in taxes from Italy’s gambling sector. On January 1, 2019, the tax on online casino and bingo was already increased to 25 per cent of gross gaming revenue (GGR), with fixed odds betting tax raised to 24 per cent of GGR and land-based sports betting operators now taxed at 22 per cent of GGR.
