Italy’s Media and Communications Agency (AGCOM) has called for urgent feedback from relevant industry stakeholders on a new public consultation focused on proposed regulatory changes designed to bring greater transparency to gambling advertising laws and guidelines.
The agency is specifically consulting on the cumulative conditions under which commercial activities utilizing brands linked to gambling licenses could fall outside Italy’s strict statutory advertising ban.
As previously acknowledged by regulatory authorities, discrepancies persist within the current enforcement framework established by the Dignity Decree of 2018. Implemented by the coalition government of the era, the federal legislation imposed an outright prohibition on commercial gambling advertising and sports sponsorships.
The current consultation centers on paragraph seven of the implementation guidelines adopted in 2019 under Article 9 of the Decree, which prohibits both direct and indirect advertising of online gambling platforms, services, and promotional offers. Resolution 234/26/CONS was officially published on October 22, initiating a 30-day submission window closing on November 21.
Clarifying infotainment and brand extensions
The regulatory proposals seek to establish rigorous requirements for operators promoting independent editorial, sports, and entertainment services through brand identities closely associated with their core gambling businesses. At the heart of the review is the commercial use of gambling-related brand names accompanied by digital extensions such as dot-live, dot-sport, and dot-news. AGCOM is actively examining circumstances where these ancillary identities might indirectly promote gambling or provide a mechanism for circumventing statutory prohibitions.
While the proposed framework retains legal scope for genuinely autonomous publishing and entertainment activities, businesses must satisfy all relevant conditions to demonstrate that their communications do not create an indirect promotional link to active gambling offers.
Under the draft guidelines, operations utilizing gambling-linked brands must maintain independent corporate structures, dedicated operational resources, and trademarks registered specifically for non-gambling services. Furthermore, editorial portals are required to feature an identifiable newsroom, a responsible director, regular original content production, and formal registration where legally mandated.
Strict safeguards and sports sponsorships
The draft stipulates that embedded links, banners, promotional redirects, and customer acquisition codes facilitating access to an operator’s gambling platforms will immediately disqualify an entity from receiving an exemption. Separate services must also maintain distinct visual identities, ensuring that any shared brand nomenclature gives equal or greater prominence to the non-gambling activity.
Meanwhile, traditional sports sponsorships, stadium advertising placements, and paid digital marketing campaigns will face heightened scrutiny. Even if individual technical criteria are satisfied, AGCOM reserves the authority to reject exemptions if the overarching message, broadcast context, or target audience generates an implicit advertising connection to gambling.
Stakeholders must submit written feedback to the dedicated certification address referencing Resolution 234/26/CONS prior to the November deadline, with formal hearing requests required at least ten days in advance. Simultaneously, AGCOM has formally notified Italian professional football leagues and clubs that the restrictive provisions of the Dignity Decree must be strictly upheld throughout the 2026/2027 season, independent of ongoing parliamentary discussions regarding potential legislative repeals.
