Soccer sponsorship proposed
Italy could be set to revoke a ban on gambling companies sponsoring sports teams, according to a report in Gazzetta Dello Sport.
A draft resolution presented to the Senate Culture Committee, which is expected to be approved, includes lifting the ban as one of its cornerstones and enjoys broad support from the political right that currently holds power in the country.
giants such as AC Milan and Juventus would be free to obtain lucrative deals with gambling operators
Sports minister Andrea Abodi could now move forward with negotiating a new code of sponsorship with Italy’s soccer clubs. As a result, giants such as AC Milan and Juventus would be free to obtain lucrative deals with gambling operators.
Offshore sites growing
Italy’s gambling advertising ban stems from a 2018 law named the Decreto Dignita (Dignity Decree), which prohibits all direct and indirect advertising of gambling in the country, including for sporting events.
soccer clubs in the country have suffered a net loss of €600m ($624m) over the past six years
The law has been repeatedly criticized for a lack of clarity, a major reason behind the push to allow gambling advertising in Italian sports. Soccer clubs in the country have suffered a net loss of €600m ($624m) over the past six years, at a time when gambling has been on the rise.
Although gambling is tightly regulated in Italy, it is one of many countries that has seen the rapid proliferation of bettors choosing to access offshore, unregulated sites to place wagers. In the last year alone, over 4.4 million gamblers were estimated to have switched to gambling with offshore operators.
Roberto Alesse, the director of Italy’s Agenzia delle dogane e dei Monopoli (AGM), the agency of customs and monopolies, also slammed the advertising ban at the end of last year. Alesse stated that the law effectively benefited illegal platforms, forcing gamblers onto unsafe and unregulated websites.
Soccer chief positive
The move was also welcomed by Gabriele Gravina, president of the Federazione Italiano Guoco Calcio (FIGC), the governing body for Italian soccer.
“It is one of the elements that I had included in the programmatic platform,” said Gravina at the end of the FIGC council meeting on February 26.
“There are many ideas that I had presented during the hearing. I am pleased that they were shared – on my part there is satisfaction. I thank the entire commission and I hope that the Minister of Sport will be very attentive. He knows our world and will be able to interpret the recommendations in the best possible way.”