Italy’s gambling industry is set to remain under close fiscal scrutiny in 2027, with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) making more effective controls and tax-revenue recovery a priority for the sector.

The direction appears in the MEF’s Act of Guidance for the Definition of Political Priorities for 2027, signed by Economy and Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti. The document is listed on the ministry’s transparency portal and sets the framework for its work over the 2027-2029 period.

For gambling operators, the key passage sits within the section on taxation. The ministry says the financial administration should strengthen the effectiveness of controls and the recovery of tax revenue, explicitly including gambling alongside customs and excise duties. The document does not announce a new gambling tax or an increase in existing rates; its focus is on improving enforcement, monitoring, and the recovery of tax revenue through more effective controls.

More Scrutiny, Not a New Gambling Tax

The gambling reference forms part of a wider tax agenda that includes completing the implementation of Italy’s fiscal reform, simplifying obligations for taxpayers, and strengthening action against tax evasion, avoidance, and fraud.

The MEF also points to better use of data and technology in fiscal analysis, alongside risk assessment and closer cooperation between the bodies involved in enforcement. In practice, Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli – ADM) remains central to the regulated gambling market, including the concession system and oversight of remote gambling.

However, the guidance is a planning document rather than a new set of gambling rules. Any change to tax rates, concession requirements, or operators’ compliance duties would need to come through separate legislation or regulatory measures.

Online Reform Has Already Moved Ahead

The 2027 priorities arrive while Italy is already implementing a major overhaul of online gambling. Legislative Decree No. 41 of 25 March 2024 reorganised the rules for remote gambling under the wider tax reform launched by Law No. 111 of 2023. The decree created the primary regulatory framework for public gambling and dealt specifically with the online market.

ADM subsequently launched the procedure for the new remote-gambling concessions under the 2024 decree. In September 2025, the agency published the award decision for that concession process.

The reform has also affected the network around online gambling. The 2024 decree provided for a register of Punti Vendita Ricariche (PVRs), which ADM formally established in October 2024. ADM continues to publish technical and operational measures connected with remote gambling, showing that implementation is still an active process.

This means online operators are already working through a changing regulatory environment. The new MEF priorities add another layer by putting stronger controls and revenue recovery firmly on the agenda for 2027.

The picture is different for Italy’s land-based gambling network. The 2023 tax delegation was designed to support a broader reorganisation of public gambling, including player protection, safeguards for minors, the territorial distribution of gambling venues, concessions, taxation, and action against illegal gambling.

The 2024 decree itself states that rules for gambling collected through physical networks were to be dealt with in a later legislative decree, after a specific agreement between the state, regions, and local authorities.

That wider land-based measure had not been completed by the end of the general 36-month delegation period in late August 2026. The original tax delegation entered into force on 29 August 2023, while a 2025 amendment extended the period from 24 to 36 months.

For operators, this leaves two developments running in parallel. The online market is moving through an already approved reform and a new concession framework, while the wider structure of the land-based sector remains unresolved.

Against that background, the MEF’s 2027 guidance should not be read as a new gambling reform in itself. Its immediate message is more specific: the ministry wants more effective controls and stronger recovery of tax revenue from the sector.

The practical impact will depend on how those priorities are translated into ADM activity, financial investigations, and any future legislation. For now, Italy is signalling tighter fiscal oversight of gambling in 2027, while the industry continues to wait for clarity on the long-term shape of the land-based market.

 

 

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