Giorgia Meloni has confirmed that gambling will fund €700m of Italy's 2027 budget, though the specific measures are not yet published. A leaked draft puts the cost on land-based concessions and gaming machines, and venue operators warn that many halls could become unprofitable.
Italy’s Council of Ministers approved the draft 2027 budget on 28 October. The package is worth roughly €26bn. At the press conference that followed, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “another €700 million” would come from the gambling sector. Energy companies will be asked for a contribution of a similar size.
Meloni did not say which parts of the sector would pay. She presented the package as aimed against no one, with those facing fewer problems asked to help. The specific tax and concession measures have not been published. Parliament can still amend the bill.
The headline gambling figure rounds down the government’s own forecast. Its draft budgetary plan expects €718m from gambling in both 2027 and 2028, and €478m in 2029. Across 2027-2029, it pencils in nearly €2bn.
Leaked draft puts the cost on machines and land-based concessions
The detail so far comes from a draft that is not yet final, Jamma reported on 29 October. Land-based slot, betting and bingo concessions would be extended to 31 December 2029 for about €305m in 2027. The Gratta e Vinci scratchcard concession would also be extended in exchange for an upfront payment.
Machine levies would rise too. The PREU levy on AWP slot machines would go from 24% to 25% of stakes. That change is estimated to raise €150m. The VLT rate would move from 8.6% to 9.6%, worth €165m. Together, the quantified gaming measures would raise about €770m in 2027. That is more than the figure Meloni cited.
None of the quantified items in that draft is an online levy. As reported, the burden would fall on venue operators, machine concessionaires and land-based licence holders rather than online brands. The measures also arrive soon after Italy’s online licence tender.
Venue association says 20% of gaming halls face losses
The retail side reacted within a day. EGP-FIPE, the association of venues offering licensed gaming, warned on 29 October that a higher machine levy would make at least 20% of specialist gaming halls unprofitable and put thousands of jobs at risk.
The wider market gives context to that warning. Italy’s total gaming turnover reached €165.33bn in 2025, up 5% on 2024. Gross gaming spend, meaning stakes minus winnings, was €21.869bn, up 1.36%.
The state’s tax take from gambling was €11.5bn in 2025. That was roughly flat on €11.6bn the year before. Revenue grew strongly from virtual betting (+23.14%) and online casino and cash games (+17.74%).
Those figures are consistent with a tax base that is broadly flat overall while some online verticals expand. A package weighted towards machines and halls would lean on land-based products rather than the online segments where revenue grew strongly.
Operators will not know the final shape of the measures until the bill clears Parliament. It now goes to the Chamber and the Senate. Both must examine and approve it by the end of the year.
Source material
- Legge di Bilancio 2027, Meloni: "Dal settore dei giochi altri 700 milioni di euro per finanziare la manovra" (Jamma)
- Comunicato stampa del Consiglio dei Ministri n. 195 (Governo Italiano – Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri)
- Dpb inviato a Commissione e Parlamento (Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze)
- Documento Programmatico di Bilancio 2027 (Ragioneria Generale dello Stato – MEF)
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