Many optimistic articles on the possible legalization and regulation of online gambling in Italy have recently hit the press.
The drift is that starting Jan. 1, 2007, it will be legal for Italian citizens to gamble online. A 3 percent tax on any gaming will be levied to the tax office based on revenues.
That would be good news for the private operators shut out by a ban of IP addresses of online gaming sites in Italy. (By the way, nearly all stricken foreign companies have managed to "work around" the blockade. . . . Remember, creativity is a precondition for working in the gambling industry.)
IGN asked Yan Pecoraro of the Italian law firm Portolano Colella Cavallo what the exact gambling situation is in "Azure Land." To this he responded:
The last Italian regulation on online gaming is contained in law decree no. 223 of June 30, 2006, confirmed by Law no. 248 of Aug. 4, 2006 (so called in Italian "Decreto Bersani").
Such decree contains several provisions on gaming/betting (in particular with respect to taxes; the decree is in fact known as "mini-budget" law). Upon this decree, AAMS (Amministrazione autonoma dei monopoli di Stato, the Lottery and Tabacco monopoly) launched on Aug. 28, 2006 a tender to sell several new betting licenses. (The final term to apply for a license is Oct. 20, 2006).
Art. 38, 2nd comma - letter b of Decreto Bersani provides that AAMS shall regulate the provision of betting services following certain criteria. Among the others AAMS shall recognize the possibility to provide betting services to operators based in European countries, in EFTA countries and in other countries if those operators have certain requirements, granting the operators' reliability, established by AAMS. Although several provisions of Decreto Bersani shall come in force on Jan. 1, 2007, it seems to us that this is not the case for the recalled provision. This means that it is not certain that AAMS shall enact a new regulation on this subject by the end of this year.
We are not aware of the type of regulation which will come in force, and we have not received any information with this respect to AAMS, which is nowadays working on the tender of land-based licenses.
We believe that such revilement of the Italian government is due to the fact that to blacklist online providers, it is not a good deal for the Italian government. From a technical point a view, it is now clear that to stop the activities of all the unauthorized e-betting providers is a "mission impossible." Therefore, given the fact that e-betting is a growing market and given the debate on this matter at EU level, the Italian state, rather then issue un-adequate regulations, shall regulate and tax e-betting services provided by non-Italian operators established in certain countries.
So, operators, take the plane and report to the offices of the AAMS in Rome. You still have a few days left. . . .