AN HISTORICAL Review of public gaming from the unification of Italy to the present. This has been an initiative started with the cooperation of the following bodies: Salerno University (Department  of historical and social sciences in the Faculty of training sciences); of Naples University (Faculty of training sciences); Fit (Italian Federation of tobacconists); the International watchdog on gaming; Sts (Association of sports Totoricevitori).

The ruling of the Court in Terni given in acceptance of a claim brought by a third party as a collector of funds and represented by Dott. Marco Ripamonti, solicitor, clarifies a well-established principle in a very unusual and more positive way than in the past.

There is no time to lose, says Mario Negro, former president of Assotrattenimento and renowned industry entrepreneur. He has no doubts and does not refrain from using tough language in relation to what is happening at the current time. “My experience as an entrepreneur and association representative won’t permit me to attempt to cling onto a “consolatory” interpretation of what is happening. When I recently had a chance to read some sections of the rough draft of the fiscal decree submitted to the Council of Ministers, my attention was drawn to the short section that referred to the “third parties responsible for collection”.

“On several occasions over the past few months, I have drawn attention to the fact that far too many issues remain unresolved in the public gaming industry, as well as to the need for an appropriate division of responsibility among the parties concerned. Certain issues pinpointed during the informal public gaming investigation process undertaken by the Finance Committee, together with other issues also worthy of note due to the media interest they gave rise to, all demand an urgent political response,” the honourable Francesco Tolotti, vice-president of permanent Committee VI of the Chamber of Deputies, told Jamma.it.

With 105,000 “irregular” Newslot games among just over 200,000 machines: the Italian market is on the brink of disaster writes Maurizio Brodo.

The licences for public gaming will have an equal duration of nine years and could be awarded through a public tendering process, all anyone tendering for the licence will have to do is to produce guarantees from banks or credit institutions. This is how the law should be in the opinion expressed by the Council of State in answer to the request for advice regarding the modular plans for acts of general agreement relative to the relationship between the grantor of the licence and the licence holder for the activities and functions connected with the collection of taxes from public gaming.

Cogetech, one of the 10 companies that was granted a licence to operate Newslot in Italy, has renounced its role as technological partner in the Rovereta gaming establishment in San Marino.

The third Italian Pro Game Show will be open to the playing and betting public for the first time, having previously being reserved for the companies in the sector and for the professionals.

On April 11, the examination of the new Bill to open up casino gaming in more regions of Italy found its way to the Commission for Productive Activities of the Chamber. This Parliamentary Bill was introduced by the Member of Parliament, Salvatore Raiti, and supported by Leonluca Olando, Salvatore Cardinale, Giuseppe Palombo, and Giacomo Baiamonte and responds to a similar initiative introduced into the Chamber of Deputies in 2005 by the Sicilian Region.

The speech given by the Director General of the AAMS Mr Giorgio Tino, at the opening of the meetings to celebrate AAMS’ 80 years is a thorough analysis of the Italian gaming market, and a careful reading of the present situation, leading to deep reflections.

It is an understatement to say that the current situation in the Italian AWP market is dramatic. A few days after the end of this year’s ATEI, it became more and more evident that one of the most important markets in Europe has been reduced to a shadow of its former self.

Lawyers Marco Ripamonti and Cino Benelli, both from the Ripamonti law firm, have expressed their complete satisfaction at the conclusion of the Conference held in Florence on 15 January with the title “Italian Gaming: the financial game”. “This was our first experience in promoting an event of interest to all the main operators in the gaming sector, and we can state that we are satisfied with the interest and the attention given to us” said Ripamonti.

It was a bit of a scramble for the betting industry to snatch up the betting shop licences made available by the State late last year. Controversially, the licences were only offered to those companies who were already stakeholders in the betting shop industry – causing some in the coin-op sector to feel let down by the government.

At the end of June this year, following the uproar caused by a legal inquiry into the leading protagonists of the gaming system on offer in Italy, the government appointed a Commission of Enquiry formed by leading representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

SAPAR’s President, Paolo Dalla Pria, recently declared: “We have quickly shifted from a system without rules to a system built upon too many rules and regulations that make both the distribution and the management processes slow and complicated.”

During November the financial police, placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Venice, have been seizing distribution permits for the Black Slot-type machines that had been stockpiled in warehouses, awaiting distribution but not yet granted a permit for use.