The threat of disconnection against Microgame had arisen following the questionable practice of a single Microgame client, Pointbet affiliate Punto di Commercializzazione (PDC) in Naples.
According to Microgame’s CEO, Fabrizio D’Aloia, the threat of cut off had been exaggerated by some in the media. "We were able to explain the situation to the authorities but the news ended up being presented in a more serious light by the media," said D’Aloia.
Leisure & Gaming, who operate in Italy via the Betshop brand, expressed confidence in the workaround solution. "The key is not to lose the service," said Leisure & Gaming CEO Richard Creed.
The Italian government requires all operators to connect their transactions through SOGEI, Societa Generale d’Informatica SPA, which validates bettings transaction with a view to calculating the betting duty due to the Italian treasury. The duty equates to approximately 5.5% of the bet staked and operators must lodge guarantees with AAMS to cover betting duties and customer monies.
In other related news, the AAMS has reported that the month of May saw a 7% month-on-month rise in total poker revenues in Italy to almost 200 million euros with Microgame taking over as market leader from Guoco Digitale.
Microgame held 26.6% of the total, registering a 10% month increase in revenues to 52.6 million euros, while former market leader Guoco Digitale saw a 7% fall in turnover to account for a 24% share of the market.