Italy’s Council of Ministers approved the draft 2027 budget on 28 October 2026, a package worth roughly €26bn, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used the press conference that followed to confirm that “another €700 million” would come from the gambling sector.
Meloni did not specify which parts of the industry would pay. She presented the package as aimed against no one, framing it instead as asking those facing fewer problems to help. Energy companies will be asked for a contribution of a similar size to the gambling sector’s €700m.
Crucially, the specific tax and concession measures affecting gambling have not been published. Parliament can still amend the bill, meaning the detail behind the headline number remains provisional.
The government’s own numbers already point slightly higher than the figure Meloni cited. The draft budgetary plan forecasts €718m from gambling in both 2027 and 2028 and €478m in 2029, pencilling in nearly €2bn across the three years — so the €700m headline effectively rounds down the Treasury’s own projection.
## What the leaked draft reportedly targets
According to a draft reported by Italian trade outlet Jamma on 29 October, land-based slot, betting and bingo concessions would be extended to 31 December 2029 in exchange for about €305m in 2027. The same draft would extend the Gratta e Vinci scratchcard concession in return for an upfront payment.
On machines, the reported text would raise the PREU levy on AWP slot machines from 24% to 25% of stakes, estimated to generate €150m, while the VLT rate would move from 8.6% to 9.6%, worth an estimated €165m.
Taken together, the quantified gaming measures in the leaked draft would raise roughly €770m in 2027 — more than the €700m Meloni referenced from the podium.
Notably, none of the quantified items in the leaked draft is an online levy. As reported, the burden would fall on venue operators, machine concessionaires and land-based licence holders rather than online brands. The measures also arrive soon after Italy’s online licence tender.
## A market that grew in 2025
The fiscal demand lands on a market that expanded last year. Italy’s total gaming turnover reached €165.33bn in 2025, up 5% on 2024, while gross gaming spend — stakes minus winnings — was €21.869bn, an increase of 1.36%. The state’s tax take from gambling, however, was broadly static at €11.5bn, against €11.6bn the year before.
Within that total, the strongest growth in tax revenue came from virtual betting, up 23.14%, and from online casino and cash games, up 17.74%. A package weighted towards machines and halls would therefore lean on land-based products rather than the online segments where revenue grew most strongly.
The budget bill now passes to the Chamber and the Senate, both of which must examine and approve it by the end of the year. Until the text clears Parliament, operators will not know the final shape of the measures.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed under the GamblingZine editorial verification process.
Sources
- Italy’s 2027 budget takes €700m from gambling, with leaked draft targeting slots and halls — Authoritative secondary source (published 2026-10-30)
- casinobeats.com — Authoritative secondary source
- casinobeats.com — Authoritative secondary source
- casinobeats.com — Authoritative secondary source
Reporting verified against the sources above; retrieval timestamps are preserved in the editorial record.