Italian Gaming Authority Outlines Plans to Combat Problem Gambling
During the General States meeting of the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), the director of gaming, Mario Lollobrigida, detailed the planned interventions to strengthen the oversight of legal gaming and combat risky behaviors.
The Agency has placed the issue of responsible gaming at the heart of its approach, as well as that of all operators, towards players. This is central to the decree on the reorganization of physical gaming, incorporating all the indications provided by the legislator in Law 111 of 2023.
“We have foreseen significant interventions, and in some cases, even invasive ones, compared to what gaming operators do today. These are measures in terms of training, controls, and subsequent audits of the activities of operators. But also the use of systems, as already foreseen for online gaming, based on artificial intelligence and behavioral studies. These tools are used to intervene on problematic gaming phenomena and intercept players before they become pathological,” Lollobrigida stated.
Lollobrigida emphasized that “studies show that a small percentage of the number of players are at risk of pathological or compulsive gambling. But it is clear that our task is to intercept them as much as possible, and as early as possible.”
Responsible Gaming and the Risk of Illegal Gambling
The issue of responsible gaming is also close to the hearts of the operators themselves, who perfectly understand that only by working in this direction can they have a future, a long future. However, could the more stringent constraints dictated by responsible gaming favor illegal gambling? What is the Agency’s point of view?
“In my opinion, the risk is marginal. These are interventions that some operators, especially the larger ones, have already adopted. I do not believe that they are really tools that push players towards illegality. On the contrary,” he continued, “regulatory uncertainties push towards illegal gambling. All these interventions are aimed at completing the process for the adoption of the decree on physical gaming, which will serve to establish certain rules on the territory. Today, instead, we are faced with uncertain rules, and it is precisely these that lead players towards illegal gambling.”
The “gettizzazione” (ghettoization) of gaming collection points through distances from sensitive places, as provided for by some regional regulations, has in many cases completely eliminated legal gaming from city centers. And so legal gaming has become illegal, it has moved towards unauthorized physical centers or towards illegal online platforms.”
The Status of the Physical Gaming Reorganization
At what point are we with the reorganization of physical gaming?
“The work by the Agency is finished. We have delivered the complete text to the Minister’s Cabinet. Now I think the issue is all political.”
“Surely,” he concluded, “there will have to be a passage in the Unified Conference, which is the most important. Our text incorporates what is required by Law 111. Our technical task is finished. Now the ball passes to politics, which can accept the proposals of the MEF (Ministry of Economy and Finance) or propose alternative modifications to be evaluated.”
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