Italy plots €400m-€500m gambling levy for 2027 budget

MEF is leaning on a retail licence extension after Meloni pulled the plug on reform talks with the regions.

The hit

Italy’s Ministry of Economy & Finance is weighing gambling levies worth €400m to €500m for the 2027 budget, according to Yogonet. The biggest chunk would come from extending retail betting concessions, due to expire at the end of 2026, out to 2029, after Meloni halted reorganisation talks with regional authorities in August.

Why it matters

Operators wanted a permanent settlement, not another stopgap. Lottomatica CEO Guglielmo Angelozzi says the delay has complicated the group’s long-term financial planning. Licensees now face a choice: accept three more years under Italy’s fragmented regional & municipal rules, or hold out for a deal that may not come. The Meloni government has finished overhauling online gambling but has left the harder retail questions untouched, & officials are not expected to reopen that reform in 2027.

The record

Retail extension revenue (Yogonet)	€200m-€250m a year over the three-year span
Cost of abandoned tender (Yogonet)	€1.5bn in lost expected proceeds
Tax mandate lapsed	29 August, no agreement reached with regions
Scratch-card tender (Yogonet)	MEF eyeing a starting price near €1bn; current licence held by Brightstar Lottery to 30 September 2028
Lotto precedent	Over €2.2bn raised upfront in the recent concession round

What happens next

Watch for Italy’s Budget Law, expected in October, to confirm or drop these provisional measures before they become law.

Sources: Italy weighs new gambling sector levies for 2027 budget | Yogonet International

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