Italy Looks to Remove Football Gambling Sponsorship Ban
Italy’s Senate is preparing to reassess the 2018 Dignity Decree, which has prohibited gambling sponsorships in sports since 2019.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Lawmakers are considering either modifying or entirely revoking the ban to address concerns raised by professional leagues and the regulated gambling industry.
According to reports in Italy, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi is working on a new sponsorship framework in collaboration with Italian football clubs and the proposal will soon be presented to the Senate’s Culture Committee for approval.
Current Restrictions Deemed Unsustainable for Italian Sports
The push to change the legislation is supported by the 7th Senate Commission, which has criticized the current sponsorship rules as unsustainable for Italian sports. The Commission argues that the restrictions have negatively impacted the country’s regulated gambling market and created unnecessary tensions between leagues and consumers. As a result, it has called for the immediate suspension of the Dignity Decree to allow Abodi to introduce a new sponsorship model.
A key aspect of the new proposal is a “1% betting allocation” that would be directed toward modernizing football stadiums, supporting women’s soccer, and improving grassroots facilities and youth programs.
The push for a review was backed by Roberto Alesse, Director General of Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), which oversees gambling regulation. Alesse has been outspoken against the Dignity Decree, describing it as “hypocritical regulation” that is incompatible with a liberal state.
The Dignity Decree was introduced by the short-lived coalition government of Lega Nord and the Five Star Movement, led by Deputy Luigi Di Maio in July 2018. Among its provisions, the decree imposed a blanket ban on gambling sponsorships in all Italian sports.
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Clubs Claim Degree is Unconstitutional
Since its enforcement in 2019, clubs in Serie A and Serie B have argued that the sponsorship ban was unconstitutional. They claim that Di Maio bypassed standard legislative procedures to implement the measure as a federal law.
In 2023, efforts to change the law gained traction when Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s majority government initiated a review of Italy’s gambling laws to modernize the sector. However, these efforts initially excluded any reconsideration of the Dignity Decree’s sponsorship ban.
Before the ban, over half of Italy’s top-flight football clubs had partnerships with gambling companies. The Senate Commission now seeks to find a balanced approach that enables new sponsorship opportunities.
When the decree was first introduced, Serie A estimated that it would result in a €700 million tax revenue loss over three years. The league also warned that the restrictions would put Italian clubs at a competitive disadvantage while shifting advertising investments abroad.
Despite the ban, some clubs have found ways to maintain links with gambling firms. For example, Inter Milan’s partnership with Betsson Sport was framed as a collaboration with a “sport infotainment brand”, allowing the company to serve as the club’s primary front-of-shirt sponsor while offering fans exclusive content, interviews, and sports news.
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