Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has removed the country’s land-based gambling reorganisation decree from the remaining 2026 political agenda, stalling reforms that were expected to generate between €1.8bn and €2bn in upfront concession revenue.
The decision follows the breakdown of two years of negotiations between the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces over the final terms of the Decreto di Riordino del Gioco Fisico. With fiscal delegation powers set to expire on August 29, Meloni’s office sent the decree back to the MEF and instructed officials to focus on settling the 2027 Budget and wider tax measures, according to SBC News.
The Regional Distanziometro Standoff
The impasse centers on national efforts to harmonize regional legislation regarding venue operating hours, technical standards, and minimum distance requirements from sensitive sites like schools. Regional authorities firmly resisted federal attempts to alter local health protections or weaken existing municipal distance rules.
Alfredo Mantovano, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council, confirmed that regional minimum distance protections will remain unchanged. The breakdown leaves operators facing difficulties identifying compliant physical locations for upcoming tenders, making planned auctions for betting shops, slot halls, and bingo venues challenging to execute.
Concession Extensions and Market Uncertainty
Existing land-based retail concessions are scheduled to run until December 31, 2026. However, market analysts expect the government to issue further extensions of one to two years while the political standoff persists.
Italian gaming association AGIC, which represents major operators including Flutter Entertainment, Lottomatica, Entain, bet365, and Brightstar, warned that nearly a decade of temporary concession extensions continues to discourage long-term investment and delay modernization. Without central reform, operators face a growing backlog of administrative court disputes over licensing rules and local planning laws.
While the online gambling framework completed its relaunch in November 2025, retail operators must now navigate fragmented local compliance and court-led resolutions. With Meloni prioritizing coalition stability and fiscal planning ahead of upcoming elections, comprehensive land-based gambling reform remains stalled.
Petra Vanhoof has spent the better part of a decade following the shifting tides of gambling regulation across Europe and beyond. She came up through the compliance side of the industry before pivoting to writing, which gives her a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on the rules, loopholes, and political maneuvering that shape how operators actually do business. She is particularly drawn to the gap between what regulators say and what the market ends up doing in response.