29 Set “Regulatory paralysis: Inside Italy’s stalled land-based gambling reform” INTERVISTA A GERONIMO CARDIA, Global Gaming Insider – settembre 2026
Italy’s land-based gambling sector remains under regulatory pressure as operators navigate ongoing uncertainty around reform, investment conditions and the future structure of the market. We spoke with Geronimo Cardia, President of Acadi, to find out more. (Global Gaming Insider, settembre 2026)
Note: This interview was conducted prior to the 29 August 2026 deadline for approving the reorganisation of the land-based gambling sector reform. As a result, it considers two possible scenarios. The Government subsequently missed the deadline.
The legislative process to reorganise Italy’s land-based gambling sector has been ongoing for some time. For years, operators have had to navigate a patchwork of regional and municipal rules governing operating hours, distance requirements and the location of gambling venues, creating an inconsistent regulatory landscape across the country. The proposed reform aims to replace the fragmented framework with a more unified national system.
Alongside harmonising local regulations, it would introduce a licensing framework for new verticals, including AWPs, VLTs, betting shops and bingo halls. The overhaul also includes a tender process for land-based gambling concessions, a national operator register, updated advertising rules, technical standards for next-generation gaming machines, measures to tackle the illegal market and stronger consumer protections.
The concession tender process remains one of the sector’s biggest unresolved issues.
Years of successive extensions have maintained business continuity but have done little to encourage long-term investment and innovation. A stable licensing framework would provide operators with greater certainty while reinforcing the regulated market across Italy. At the same time, the land-based gaming machine sector continues to contract. State revenue from gaming machines fell from €5.66bn ($6.52bn) in 2023 to €5.24bn in 2025, a decline of 7.4%, according to the 2025 Tax Revenue Bulletin published by Italy’s Department of Finance.
To examine the challenges facing the sector, Global Gaming Insider spoke with Geronimo Cardia, President of Acadi, the association representing Italy’s public gaming concessionaires, and a barrister with more than two decades’ experience in the country’s gaming industry.
What is your assessment of the current state of progress of the reorganisation of the land-based gambling sector, and when do you expect significant developments in the reform process?
There was the 2023 enabling law and the 2024 reform of online gaming. However, to date, the reform of land-based gaming and the rebalancing of the parameters of products and distribution channels – which were also originally envisaged – remain outstanding.
It is well known that regulatory paralysis has limited investment in the sector. This lack of investment has affected product development and quality, reducing demand for land-based machine gaming
Priority was given to the reform of online gaming, which has now overtaken the entire land-based network in terms of wagers collected, rather than proceeding with a comprehensive reform that would have provided a coherent overall framework. Moreover, even under the best-case scenario of the immediate enactment of an agreed reform and a balanced tender process, the concrete benefits for the public interests involved would not be seen before 2027-2028.
If, by 29 August 2026 – the deadline for approving the territorial reorganisation of the land-based gambling sector – the reform has still not been completed, we will inevitably see another extension of the concessions, whether by decree or through the 2027 Budget Law. In that case, the extensions should not impose additional burdens on operators.
To what extent has regulatory standstill become an obstacle to investment and modernisation in the land-based gaming sector?
The investments required from private operators can only follow a regulatory stabilisation which, to date, is still awaited. Moreover, this situation has persisted for years, especially in the land-based machines sector. Indeed, gaming reform has been discussed over several parliamentary terms. Most recently, we saw the failed attempt at the final stage in the Unified Conference, which in September 2017 resulted in a measure signed by the State and local authorities. Despite this, it appears never to have been ratified by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and, even more importantly, it has not been applied in practice by the courts.
Can we say it? Regulatory paralysis is the real problem. It is well known that regulatory paralysis has limited investment in the sector. This lack of investment has affected product development and quality, reducing demand for land-based machine gaming. As a result, it has negatively impacted tax revenues, employment levels and the protection of consumer health.
We will inevitably see another extension of the concessions, whether by decree or through the 2027 Budget Law
With player protection a priority, it is regrettable that the implementation of safer gaming products has been delayed. Today’s technology can make these products safer by identifying when a minor is attempting to access a machine (without identifying the individual) and by detecting potentially compulsive gambling signals before they develop into more serious problems. This would allow the operator to be alerted and act as a valuable ally in addressing gambling harm issues.
What would the sector like to see included in the final regulatory framework?
Much of the gaming supply chain – especially the land-based sector and, in particular, the machines segment – has called for a comprehensive reform rather than separate online and later land-based reforms. Online and land-based gaming should be addressed through a unified approach to protect public health, the Treasury, legality and employment.
Operators have called for the removal of ineffective measures – minimum-distance rules and operating-hour restrictions – which they argue do not protect players but instead shift demand to other channels, including illegal gambling. They believe technology can provide more effective safeguards against gambling harm, replacing measures that currently apply only to certain land-based products, such as gaming machines.
Among the other measures the sector hopes to see in the reform are, as mentioned, a revision of taxation and operating parameters for new machines, moving from a turnover-based levy to one based on net margin, as already applies to other product types.
What are the main risks for the market if the Government were to proceed with the reform without fully addressing the sector’s concerns?
There were tensions among industry representatives because no formal prior consultation process took place. For this reason, many called for a prior impact assessment of the proposed measures. The risk is that the downward trend highlighted by the sector’s figures will continue. If the reform fails to materialise, the current trends will continue – probably at an accelerated pace – unless timely remedial action is taken through the bridge measures mentioned above.