Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) has announced the first 46 operators to have passed the initial stage of the new licence tender that is due to shake up the country’s market.
The regulator published a list of the 46 businesses to make it through the initial tranche, with the reform to Italy’s gambling market set to see the number of online licences capped at 50.
Each licence will run for nine years and cost €7m (£6m), representing a steep increase on previous licence fees in Italy and sparking concerns that tax returns and player choice will be restricted.
In December 2023, the European Gaming and Betting Association said that the existing 91 licensees in the Italian market could shrink to as low as 15 operators based on the new rules.
However, the ADM revealed 46 firms made it through to the next stage, with the body now due to review the applications before the end of July.
Those that are successful will then have to stump up an initial €4m of the licence fee, alongside a guarantee to pay the remainder.
The Italian licence tender must be completed by the end of September.
Among the operators to have progressed in the first stage are bet365, via its Hillside (New Media Malta) arm, and multiple Flutter brands, including Snaitech, Sisal, Betfair, tombola and PokerStars.
Evoke’s William Hill and 888 also made the grade, as has LeoVegas Group and Stake, which acquired Idealbet last year as part of its move into regulated markets.
Lottomatica, which positions itself as the market leader, has likewise seen a host of its brands make it past the post. Those include Betflag, the rebranded SKS365 brand PWO and Goldbet.
Entain’s Eurobet has been named on the ADM’s list, but unlike Flutter and Lottomatica, its other brands have not been added as individual licence applications.
As per the ADM’s site, Eurobet’s licence currently allows Entain to run multiple sites in the market, including bwin and Gioco Digitale.
Current licensed operators not to be named on the ADM’s list include FDJ United’s Unibet and Betway.
The post Italy names initial 46 approved operators as part of licensing reforms first appeared on EGR Intel.
Heavy hitters including Lottomatica, Flutter, bet365, Entain and evoke all approved at the first stage, with further reviews from the regulator to come over the summer
The post Italy names initial 46 approved operators as part of licensing reforms first appeared on EGR Intel.