Italy Enacts New Regulations For Online Gaming IndustryOnline Poker Changes May Not Be On Tap Yet |
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The new year is bringing some changes to internet gaming in Italy. This includes a new licensing process as part of a new reorganization of online casinos in the country.
Italian regulators released details on the plan recently after receiving approval from the European Union. The new rules call for operators to be licensed for nine years and companies looking to offer online gaming in the country have until May 30 to apply for a license.
Each license will cost €7 million, €3 million before launching operations and then another €4 million when a license is awarded. Regulators hope to attract operators with deep experience and the finances to run major online gaming operations, according to reports.
The new standards call for applicants must have a track record of operating gaming platforms in Europe and also have a legal or operational headquarters in the European Economic Area. Italian regulators expect about 50 applicants, generating €350 in licensing fees and €100 million in annual revenue for the government.
What About Online Poker?
The changes aren’t expected to affect the Italian online poker market, which features a ringed-in approach. While major online operators like PokerStars operate in the country, these platforms only allow players to compete against others located within the border and not against other players in the much larger international market or even with other players within the European Union.
The countries of Spain, France, and Portugal pool players from those three countries, but Italian regulators haven’t approved joining that player pool either. Operators have been pushing for reform and GGPoker consultant Marco Trucco spoke to Italy’s Senate Finance Commission earlier this year, urging changes to the industry.
“With a (regulation) that requires operators to make an important economic contribution, I believe it is worth considering finally offering international operators still dealing with poker a competitive product or at least not letting it die completely, therefore allowing you to connect to international platforms and play with other countries on the network, maintaining all the precautions and restrictions already foreseen,” he said. “From an economic point of view, this would bring poker back to being a competitive product, generating an increase estimated at around €25 million in (annual) revenue.”
“There is no risk in this. All the most stringent and well-resourced regulators in the world, such as the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania, the United Kingdom and Denmark, have poker in global liquidity and have not had any problems.”
Along with online gaming reform, Italian regulators are also planning to tackle land-based casino operations as well in the coming year, including a 2018 ban on gambling advertising. The goal is to modernize and create a more competitive industry.
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