SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
ADM, Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency, has published its “Activity and Organisation Plan 2025 to 2027 (PIAO),” outlining its management and control objectives for key industries, including Italy’s gambling sector.
The plan is attached to Italy’s Budget 2025 and defines the agency’s specific goals and investment requirements for resources, operating systems, and technology upgrades.
As part of its regulatory functions, the agency oversees the governance and conduct of Italy’s energy, alcohol, tobacco, and gambling (lotteries and public gaming) sectors.
Player protection front and centre
Under the PIAO, ADM will implement a new framework to govern Italian gambling licences, aligned with the structural changes introduced by the “Reorganisation of Gambling Decree” (March 2024) — supporting the government’s mandate to modernise Italy’s gambling laws.
ADM states that these changes will ensure legal transparency for gambling concessions while strengthening its oversight and control of land-based and online gambling licences.
The consolidation of safer gambling protections is viewed as a principal objective to protect national consumers, while ADM applies tougher measures to prevent Italy’s gambling sector from being exposed to fraud and criminal activities.
“The Agency will ensure the use of public gaming within a regulated, technologically advanced, and constantly monitored environment,” the PIAO states.
“In line with the new provisions on the reorganisation of public gaming, ADM will also contribute to the development of safe and responsible gaming, ensuring the transparency and quality of the public gaming offer and the unity of management throughout the national territory.”
Licence inspections to double
From 2025 onwards, ADM will double its inspections of betting shops, bingo halls, and VLT venues to enhance the verification of compliance with operational requirements.
“ADM will base its action on the key principles of legality and the development of safe gaming, aimed at ensuring the protection of the player, especially if belonging to vulnerable groups,” the document states.
New requirements will be applied to ensure that gambling licences pay concession fees within a 25-day period. ADM aims to reduce late payments by enhancing the technical and administrative infrastructure, supported by a new IT system.
The agency is also introducing more stringent requirements for licensing and registration. Operators will be required to submit ‘self-declarations’ on compliance solutions and record-keeping of customer accounts. These will be cross-referenced by ADM to “identify inaccuracies and vulnerabilities”.
“ADM will strengthen the monitoring of online gaming platforms and increase the technical conformity checks on VLT gaming systems, bingo, and betting platforms,” the plan states. “This will include regular audits and random inspections to ensure compliance with licensing requirements and technical standards.”
Beyond expanding its scrutiny of licences, ADM underlines its efforts to combat money laundering and reduce the gambling sector’s exposure to the black market, currently viewed at lost income of €1bn per year.
AML protections to match EU standards
In line with broader European Union directives, ADM is also expanding its anti-money laundering (AML) efforts, forging a “new commitment to monitor the financial flows within the gambling sector and improving the detection of suspicious transactions”.
Its report continued: “ADM will ensure constant monitoring for anti-money laundering purposes, with the aim of preventing the reinvestment of illicit proceeds in the sector and combating any form of infiltration of economic and organised crime.”
The strategy includes closer collaboration with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Financial Police to increase the speed and accuracy of suspicious activity reporting.
Technology is at the core of ADM’s future strategy by applying a new Integrated Control System (SIC), which will centralise real-time monitoring and risk assessment across the gambling sector.
The SIC platform will allow ADM to track player behaviour, operator activity, and financial flows more accurately, enabling the agency to respond more quickly to potential violations.
New tech systems to drive Italy regulatory leadership
ADM also plans to use artificial intelligence to automate certain compliance and enforcement actions, reducing administrative delays and improving the overall efficiency of the regulatory framework.
ADM’s commitment to transparency is reflected in its plan to improve the availability of public information on the gambling sector. The agency will publish regular reports on licensing decisions, enforcement actions, and compliance outcomes.
This will allow operators, players, and stakeholders to better understand the regulatory environment and the expectations placed on licensed operators. ADM also plans to introduce an open data portal where stakeholders can access key performance indicators and statistical data related to the gambling sector.
The PIAO also highlights ADM’s intention to strengthen international cooperation to combat illegal online gambling and cross-border fraud. The agency is working closely with other European regulators and law enforcement agencies to share information and coordinate enforcement actions.
Actions included improving the detection of unlicensed operators targeting Italian players from outside the country and increasing the pressure on financial institutions to block payments to unlicensed platforms.
The PIAO sets out a clear and ambitious roadmap for transforming Italy’s gambling sector over the next three years, in which the ADM aims for Italian gambling to become Europe’s best and safest regulated marketplace.
