Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency has issued a proper reminder to distant playing concessionaires about how they could current bonuses, rewards and prizes to prospects. The clarification adopted questions from licensed operators and complaints submitted by client teams about promotional practices.
The company confirmed that operators might proceed to supply compliant bonuses. Their public communications should stay impartial and factual. Messages that encourage participation, add sales-oriented emphasis or straight incentivise playing can fall inside Italy’s promoting prohibition, which has utilized for the reason that Dignity Decree took impact in 2019.
ADM Draws a Line Around Bonus Communications
The newest steerage focuses on the regulatory distinction between a permitted bonus and the best way an operator markets that supply. Licensees might clarify {that a} bonus exists and describe the way it features. They can also publish related circumstances and utilization limits. The communication should serve an informational function.
The steerage states that operators might talk the “existence and mechanics of bonuses in a purely informational manner”. Content that encourages customers to play or creates “promotional emphasis” stays prohibited beneath the promoting guidelines enforced by the communications authority.
Technical compliance additionally types a part of the requirement. Bonuses should belong to permitted classes and comply with the procedures established for their administration. Operators should monitor them accurately and apply the related fee, tax and accounting remedy. The guidelines protecting fixed-odds betting bonuses additionally decide how licensees report these presents to the nationwide totalisator.
This creates separate compliance duties for concessionaires. They should be certain that every bonus follows the relevant technical framework. They should additionally overview the wording and presentation used on web sites, data pages and buyer communications.
Single-Domain Licences Increase Content Oversight
The reminder comes throughout the first 12 months of Italy’s revised distant playing framework. The nation started working the brand new system in November 2025 and awarded 52 lively licences. Each concessionaire should conduct its enterprise via one grasp area.
The single-domain rule ended the earlier use of pores and skin web sites by licensed firms. It additionally provides regulators a extra concentrated view of the content material offered to customers, together with explanations of merchandise and bonus phrases. Authorities can subsequently look at customer-facing messages inside one licensed digital setting.
The company burdened that the clarification doesn’t change current coverage. Concessionaires should comply with present steerage and any later measures adopted by the communications regulator. The playing authority additionally stated it can’t reinterpret or amend these choices as a result of the communications authority retains duty for making use of the promoting restrictions.
Regulatory discussions with operators have continued in different areas of the distant sector. The company scheduled a videoconference for July 3 to debate a draft regulation for betting change, outlined as fixed-odds betting involving direct interplay between gamers.
Advertising Review Remains Unresolved
The way forward for the Dignity Decree stays beneath political dialogue. In December 2025, Director General Roberto Alesse argued that lawmakers ought to finally rethink the restrictions so licensed operators can talk with customers via regulated channels. He stated the bounds on licensed-brand visibility might have given unlawful operators extra room out there.
The communications regulator opened a overview of playing promoting and advertising and marketing guidelines in May. That course of recognised persevering with uncertainty over the boundary between “informational” and “promotional” communication. The authorities expects to revisit the broader promoting framework after finishing its reorganisation of land-based playing, which stays scheduled for the tip of 2026.
The deliberate land-based modifications are anticipated to interchange the present patchwork of guidelines with a extra unified framework. Proposed areas embrace tighter necessities for venue working hours and minimal distances. Ministers have indicated {that a} overview of the Dignity Decree will type a part of the ultimate stage of the broader playing reform. No proposal to repeal or amend the decree has been tabled.
In separate enforcement motion, the playing authority ordered web service suppliers to block 293 further unauthorised playing domains. The new checklist once more consists of Polymarket.com, regardless of an earlier beneficial ruling for the platform earlier than the Regional Administrative Court. Authorities preserve that the prediction market lacks the licences required to function in Italy.
The blocking order depends on Article 102 of Decree-Law No. 104/2020 and offers suppliers till July 27, 2026, to limit entry. The authority additionally directed suppliers to revive entry to gamblizard.com, a site included in an earlier block.
Source:
Italian gambling regulator stands by bonus and content rules, sbcnews.co.uk, June 29, 2026
