Italian overhaul provides relief for bingo and sportsbooks

The new regulations will provide substantial relief for bingo and sportsbook operators now set to be taxed at a uniform rate on gross revenues, with the provision slated to be lowered even further if the market does not meet specific performance levels.

Casino, cash poker and exchange betting are already subject to the uniform cap, and the new rules will bring bingo, sports betting and poker tournament games under the same umbrella.

The regulations will come into effect immediately, devoid of any schedule of gradualised implementation.

Giulio Corragio, who oversees Italian gambling practices at DLA Piper, explained to eGaming Review that the single tax across all online games will end what he referred to as the overtaxing of those games until now.

Corragio further clarified the Italian position, whereby uniform parameters will facilitate competitive market rates compared to non-Italian licensing platforms, in the interests of attracting new operators and suppliers to the Italian market.

This is a big step in the rigid Italian system for opening European markets up to healthy competition that is open and also most effectively supports government taxation systems, the whole rationale behind all countries in the EU liberalizing their online gambling restrictions once and for all.

This is part of a greater reform of gambling guidelines initiated by last year's delegation law granting government 12 months in which to adopt changes, and the online changes represent just one sector with a plethora of land-based measures also in the works.