Italy budget: Higher slot tax, double stakes and concessions to 2029
Italy’s 2027 budget bill will raise the levy on gaming machines, double maximum stakes on slots and extend land-based gambling concessions to the end of 2029, according to the certified text now heading to parliament.
Under the bill, the PREU machine levy on slots (AWP) rises from 24% to 25% from 1 January 2027, and on video lottery terminals (VLT) from 8.6% to 9.6%. Slots paying out at least 70% in prizes would pay a reduced 20% rate. At the same time, the maximum stake per slot game doubles from €1 to €2 and the maximum prize from €100 to €200.
Concessions extended to 2029
Betting, slot, VLT and bingo concessions, due to expire on 31 December 2026, are extended to the end of 2029.
Betting shops will pay €14,250 a year per right where gambling is the main business, and €8,550 where it is secondary. Slot and VLT network concessionaires will pay €150 per slot permit and €7,500 per VLT right for the full extension period. Bingo halls face monthly fees of between €6,500 and €14,500, linked to each hall’s card sales.
The Gratta e Vinci scratchcard concession is extended to 2029 for €188 million, and Lotto and SuperEnalotto gain an extra weekly draw.
The bill also creates a licensing regime for esports and LAN gaming halls offering skill games without cash prizes. Halls will need ADM authorisation, with fees of €200 per device, €1,000 per hall and €10,000 per online platform. Betting of any kind is banned in these venues. It also includes a settlement scheme for long-running disputes over a 2015 levy on slot machines.
Retail carries the load
The measures should raise about €952 million in 2027, according to Italian Gaming News. That’s more than the €700 million Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced last week. The largest items are €334 million from the PREU increase, €281m from concession extensions and €188 million from scratchcards. The 2015 levy settlement could add €71.62 million if all parties take part.
The technical report puts the PREU rise and concession extensions alone at nearly €2 billion over 2027–2029. It assumes slot takings rise by about 30% under the new stake limits.
The text contains no new levy on online gambling and no change to the lottery commission (aggio). That confirms the expectation, reported by iGB last week, that retail would bear most of the burden. Earlier reports had suggested the contribution could fall on lotteries and online instead.
Industry pushback
The changes have drawn criticism from the land-based sector, Agimeg reports. According to Jamma, trade association As.Tro has called an extraordinary meeting of its technical committee today to assess the impact of the slot and VLT measures.
The bill goes first to the Chamber of Deputies, where hearings are expected to start around 5 November and amendments are due by 17 November. Parliament must approve the budget by 31 December.