Italian online gambling companies have been warned about compliance with rules around content and communication about bonuses, rewards and prizes, overseen by the AGCOM communications regulator.
The warning was issued by Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), as the governing body of Italian gambling aims to clarify the scope of the current advertising rules following queries from operators and complaints submitted by consumer associations over promotional content.
Since 2019, AGCOM has enforced the provisions of the Dignity Decree, which introduced a blanket ban on gambling advertising across traditional and digital media, alongside a prohibition on gambling sponsorships across all sports.
ADM’s latest guidance centres on the distinction between bonuses and promotional activity. The regulator stressed that bonuses remain permitted, but may only be offered and communicated within the parameters established by AGCOM.
As such, online licensees may only communicate the “existence and mechanics of bonuses in a purely informational manner|”. Any messaging that encourages participation, creates “promotional emphasis” or incentivises gambling remains prohibited under the Dignity Decree and AGCOM’s advertising guidelines.
The clarification comes as Italy enters a new phase of its online gambling regime. Since November 2025, the country has been operating under its new remote gambling licensing framework, with 52 active licences awarded.
Under the new regime, each licensee must operate through a single master domain, enabling regulators to more effectively monitor marketing activity and ensure all consumer-facing communications comply with AGCOM’s advertising requirements.
This measure was introduced to prevent licensed firms from operating skin websites.
ADM reminded concessionaires that they must comply with AGCOM’s existing guidance, as well as any future measures adopted by the communications authority. The agency also underlined that it has no authority to interpret or amend AGCOM’s decisions, which remain the legal basis for enforcing Italy’s gambling advertising restrictions.
The guidance reinforces the growing importance of content governance under Italy’s revamped licensing framework. While operators may continue to provide factual information about their products, services and bonus conditions, they must ensure such communications remain informational in nature and do not amount to advertising or promotional activity.
Decree review pending outcomes
The intervention comes as the future of the Dignity Decree remains under political scrutiny.
In December 2025, ADM Director General Roberto Alesse argued that the advertising restrictions should eventually be reviewed to allow licensed operators to communicate with consumers in a responsible and regulated manner.
Alesse argues that the current framework has inadvertently strengthened the black market by limiting the visibility of licensed brands.
In May, AGCOM launched a review of Italy’s gambling advertising and marketing rules, acknowledging that the existing framework lacks clarity over customer engagement and where the line should be drawn between “informational” and “promotional” communications.
The gambling advertising ban is expected to return to the political agenda once the Meloni government completes its reorganisation of Italy’s land-based gambling sector, scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.
Ministers have repeatedly indicated that the overhaul of Italy’s gambling framework will conclude with a review of the Dignity Decree, potentially paving the way for a more proportionate advertising regime that balances consumer protection with the commercial realities of a regulated market.
However, no legislative proposal to repeal or amend the decree has yet been tabled.
