Italy's Ministry of Economy is reviewing a package of gambling sector measures as part of the 2027 budget preparation. The proposals could generate €400–500 million in additional revenue, but none have been included in the draft Budget Law yet.
The bulk of the projected income — €200–250 million annually — would come from extending land-based operator licences by three years, to the end of 2029. Current concessions expire at the end of 2026. The extension would allow the government to collect fees while preparing a retail network reform that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni dropped from the 2027 agenda in August. Negotiations with regional authorities ran for three years without result. Scrapping the tender will cost the budget €1.5 billion in foregone revenue.
Under current rates, operators pay €120 per year for each AWP machine, €4,000 for a VLT, €9,500 for a betting agency, €5,700 for a betting corner and €2,800 per month for a bingo hall. The extension would give time to test new machine requirements and restart dialogue with regions.
The budget may also include preparation for a scratch-card concession tender. Brightstar Lottery's current licence expires on 30 September 2028. The starting price is around €1 billion. The ministry is using the Lotto concession as a reference, which brought in €2.2 billion. Scratch cards generate around €500 million per year on turnover of €8 billion, but initial payments would not arrive before 2028.
Other measures under consideration include a digital Lotto receipt (€15 million) and an additional Lotto and SuperEnalotto draw (€50 million per year). The draft budget is expected in October; all figures remain provisional. Operators have voiced frustration with the uncertainty. Lottomatica CEO Guglielmo Angelozzi said the delay complicates financial planning.
