Italy has formally replied to the detailed opinion released by Malta on the draft of technical rules for the next remote gambling tender, which was presented, in compliance with EU Directive no. 1535/2015, to the EU Commission and the EU member states in July.
The tender process for the assignment of the new remote gambling concessions is expected to be launched in Italy by the gambling regulator ADM before year end. Legislative Decree no. 41/2024 sets forth a remote gambling concession fee of €7,000,000 per concession and gambling website for a nine-year period of validity, not renewable. It also imposes a stringent set of further requirements, such as: the holding of (i) a gambling experience, minimum revenues, financial and moral stability; (ii) an architectural-technical capacity within the EEA and minimum requirements on environment, IT innovation, and cybersecurity; (iii) the holding of quality system certifications on company social responsibility, security systems, and responsible gambling; (iv) the compulsory investment of 0.2% of its net revenues, up to €1 million per year, for informative campaigns on responsible gambling and topics decided by an intergovernmental committee; etc.
As a result, the current number of concessionaires (more than 80 presently) is expected to decrease by about half.