The Italian market could be set for significant regulatory changes following the news that the Senate of Italy is prepared to review the country’s ban on gambling sponsorship.
According to a report by Calcio newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi is seeking to bring in a new sponsorship code, changing the current framework.
Central to the new proposals is the increased funding around the game, with a touted 1% betting allocation that will elevate funding of the current infrastructure in football stadiums, women’s football and boosting grassroots facilities and youth systems.
The current legislation has been cited as unviable as Italian football looks to modernise and evolve into the modern era.
The review has been spearheaded by Roberto Alesse, Director General of the ADM, Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), with Alesse previously taking aim at the logistics of the ban.
In a previous interview with La Verità, Roberto Alesse, Director General of the ADM, described the Dignity Decree measures as “hypocritical regulation”, predicting that a reform was on the horizon.
Alesse told the paper: “We are working to adapt national standards to those required by Europe. However, let us clarify that the broader reform will overcome the so-called Dignity Decree that penalized the sponsorship of public games, harming the country’s economy.
“It is about aligning the system with international standards. In a liberal state, legal gambling cannot endure excessive prohibitions, which, in fact, add to the ban already in place against illegal activities.”
The introduction of the ban was met with widespread disappointment from Italian football and the gambling industry, as the country’s top flight detailed around €700m in tax would be lost out on as a result of the ban.
Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the ban has been brought into question, with a myriad of clubs agreeing deals with subsidiary infotainment brands, enabling operators to continue to tap into the exposure of the Italian top tier.
