ADM Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency has revised its technical rules and IT demands for ‘verification bodies’ that licence gambling concessions and games of chance.
The guideline outlines the key checks that must be carried out on the technical requirements that must be evidenced by the concessionaire’s system. All information on Italian gambling licences, technical systems and solutions is freely available on the portal Portale Unico delle Dogane e Monopoli (PUDM).
The Role of a Verification Body?
A Verification Body (also known as an Organismo di Verifica – ODV) is an independent body appointed by ADM to carry out assessments on gambling systems. These bodies are vital to confirm that the technical and operational arrangements of gambling concessions are compliant with ADM’s standard requirements.
The main responsibility of an ODV is to check whether the concessionaire’s system is in line with the requirements to ensure that it is possible to operate transparently, fairly, and securely.
New guidelines stipulate that all gaming systems must be thoroughly checked to ascertain compliance as required by the Reorganisation of Gambling Decree (March 2024). It entails the assessment of system architecture, data security, disaster recovery, and user management, prioritising the following protocols:
- System Architecture and Modularity
According to the guidelines, concessionaire systems should be designed in a modular manner. Each module should be distinguishable and capable of being upgraded independently without affecting the entire system. This modular approach makes it easier to conduct routine checks and minimises the impact of system crashes or unauthorized modifications.
- Data Security
Data protection is a critical issue. Systems should be able to identify any attempted data manipulation and should close down automatically in case an integrity issue is identified. Furthermore, all gaming data, including transaction logs and user details, should be safely stored and retrievable by ADM for the purposes of audit.
- Real-Time Monitoring
Verification Bodies must make certain that systems have real-time monitoring capabilities such as user activity, transactions and system performance. Logs should be made inaccessible and tamper-proof and should be copied periodically to prevent loss of data in case of system breakdown.
- Disaster Recovery Safeguards
All concessionaire systems are expected to implement a business continuity plan as per ADM. This plan should include real-time data backup in geographically distinct locations in the European Economic Area. The data backup intervals should not be more than 120 seconds to guarantee that critical gaming data is safe and can be recovered in the event of a disaster.
- RNG Compliance
For games of chance, the guidelines stipulate that only certified Random Number Generators (RNGs) are permitted. It is necessary to test these RNGs to confirm that they produce random and unpredictable outcomes. The Verification Bodies should confirm that RNG results are securely produced and that they remain valid during the gaming process.
- Session Management and User Safety
ADM requires that gaming systems time out users after 20 minutes of inactivity. Players should be allowed to customise the time out period. If a session is interrupted, the system must resume the game state when the player comes back in order to ensure that the game is continuous and fair.
- Compliance Diligence
ODVs must record all the steps involved in the verification process, the test results, the system integrity tests and the confirmations of compliance. This documentation will be useful in supporting the licensing procedures and ADM’s periodic audits. Concessionaire systems are expected to produce detailed reports on user activities, system status and any irregularities observed during operations.
2025 Lotto IT Concession
These revised technical compliance standards are brought in as 2025 is set to be a year of significant change for the Italian gambling market. ADM and the Italian government are gearing up to award the highly anticipated €1bn Italian lottery concession tender.
The Italian government holds current negotiations as it prepares to issue its Lotto concession contract for nine years worth an estimated €4.5bn. The concession submission deadline fell on 17 March when IGT Plc and Sisal (Flutter Entertainment) presented themselves as the only bidding competitors.
These new technical requirements aim to guarantee that every bidder can fulfil the highest standards of system security and data protection along with operational transparency.
