Italy targets gambling sector for $1.140 billion in tax revenue between 2027 and 2028

Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) expects to raise about $1.140 billion from gambling companies over 2027 and 2028, as part of Giorgia Meloni’s 2027 Budget Law package. For operators and PSPs, the important part is not just the headline number: the government is also changing online gaming licensing, audit rules, and technical standards, which is where the real operational cost tends to show up.

1. Italy’s plan is built around a newly approved online gaming licence regime that entered into force in November 2025, with an annual fee of about $8 million. The MEF also plans tighter audits, including reviews of online gaming accounts, and a new accounting structure for how operators record winnings and withdrawals.
2. The same package includes higher fees for extending existing concessions. In other words, the cost base is not limited to fresh licences; incumbent operators are also being pulled into the fiscal net through renewal and extension mechanics.
3. Gambling is only one part of a broader revenue plan. The Italian government aims to collect between $8.000 and $9.100 million overall, with banks, insurers, and energy companies also expected to contribute. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti summed up the approach with: “touto aquel que pueda, contribuirá.”
4. The main open question for the sector is what the final budget will actually include and what financial obligations it will impose on licence holders. The proposals mentioned so far cover online gaming, winnings withdrawals, and concession agreements, but the fees, charges, and implementation timetable are still not confirmed.
5. In Rome, Parliament has not yet decided whether to allow the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) to launch a tender for instant games and scratch cards. That matters because the current lottery concession, run by Lotterie Nazionali — a joint venture of Brightstar Lottery, Scientific Games, Arianna, and Allwyn — expires in 2028 and is being considered under the 2027 budget proposal.

The broader budget process is moving after Parliament approved a budget deviation of about $33.060 million over two years for energy and defense spending. For high-risk operators, the practical takeaway is simple: Italy is not only raising the price of access to the market, it is also using the budget process to redraw the rules around reporting, renewals, and concession value.