The Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM) has formally launched a public consultation via Resolution 85/26/CONS to establish a rigid framework for “responsible gambling” communications. While the 2018 Dignity Decree maintains a blanket ban on gambling advertising, current law permits purely “informative” or “social responsibility” messaging. The new guidelines aim to eliminate the use of these exceptions as a loophole for covert marketing. The consultation, which will remain open for 30 days, proposes specific restrictions on the visual composition of alerts, the participation of sports figures in safety campaigns, and the involvement of social media influencers.
Strategic Implications of the Proposed Framework
The AGCOM draft signals a transition from high-level principles to granular, technical enforcement. For operators and affiliates, the following second-order effects are expected:
- De Facto End to Influencer Safety Campaigns: The regulator intends to veto the presence of “specific personalities”, including football professionals, in responsible gambling messages to prevent the “glamourisation” of betting under the guise of safety.
- Graphic and Typographic Mandates: Proposed rules require strict graphic balance, ensuring that responsible gambling alerts are not overshadowed by an operator’s proprietary brand elements.
- Increased Operational Liability for Affiliates: Affiliates will likely face standardised fine structures (ranging from €5,000 to €500,000) for “indirect encouragement” if their comparison tables or “news” sites do not adhere to the new typographic clarity rules.
- Standardisation of Age Verification: These rules will eventually interface with the mandatory use of Italy’s Public Digital Identity System (SPID), creating a high-friction entry point for any user interacting with gambling-related information.
Strengthening the Dignity Decree Implementation
The draft resolution aims to harmonise existing laws with the evolving digital landscape. Under Article 9 of the Dignity Decree, direct advertising remains prohibited, but the “grey area” of odds-comparison services and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives has historically provided a path for brand exposure.
AGCOM’s new stance suggests that even these permitted communications must now prioritise “transparency and an educated gaming choice” above brand recognition. This shift follows the period in which the The Italian gambling regulator, ADM, issued 52 new online gambling licences, as the authority moves to ensure the expanded cohort of licensees operates within a more restricted marketing corridor.
Regional Harmonisation and Technical Requirements
The proposed standards place significant emphasis on distinguishing between licensed and unlicensed offerings through the mandatory display of the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) logo. This is part of a broader “structural reset” of the market, which includes the initiative where Italy moved toward a major overhaul of land-based gambling rules.
Key technical requirements within the AGCOM consultation include:
- Algorithm Transparency: Indexing services provided by search engines or marketplaces (such as Google Play) will be monitored to ensure they do not offer “preferential placement” based on promotional intent.
- B2B Exclusion: Notably, the draft maintains an exclusion for business-to-business (B2B) communications and sector-specific fairs, protecting the professional iGaming ecosystem from the consumer-facing ban.
- Economic Analysis: Operators will be required to demonstrate that their “responsible” actions do not constitute covert propaganda, with AGCOM planning to monitor the relationship between brand size and the legibility of social responsibility alerts.
Next Steps for Licensed Concessionaires in Italy
The 30-day participatory phase allows licensed operators to submit technical adjustments before the standards are finalised. Industry analysts expect the final guidelines to be adopted rapidly following the consultation, requiring immediate updates to digital assets and “odds space” content.
The move is widely seen as a response to recent enforcement actions, including million-euro fines levied against major social media platforms for hosting gambling-related content. By codifying these communication standards, AGCOM is effectively removing the “good faith” defence for operators whose safety messaging carries excessive promotional weight.