This proposal was introduced by the Sicilian Regional Assembly in its sitting in February 2005 and in March 2005. The members of parliament believe it is necessary to seize on every useful initiative in order to promote the development of the economy and to increase the employment levels rejecting, at the same time, the prejudgments whereby the presence of gaming houses in Sicily would be excluded for fear of criminal infiltration. Italy, when it comes to gaming houses and disciplines of games of chance, finds itself lagging behind the other European States. The legislation maintains a general prohibition based on articles 718 onwards of the criminal code, although allowing a special regime in favour of four gaming houses set up through state laws that have been laid down from time to time as an exception, referring to the Ministry of the Interior the adoption of finalized provisions put into effect with the opening of casinos for particular justifiable reasons. Probably the exceptions to the general prohibition, granted to the municipalities of Venice, San Remo, Campione d’Italia and Saint Vincent, could, in the past, have been justified by the particular local financial requirements or for the historical reasons that had induced the legislator to favour the four centres that are traditionally most associated with international tourism. Today, however, the motivations for a general prohibition appear completely outdated and inadequate when viewed against the numbers of tourists flocking to the casinos in the countries adjacent to Italy, together with the increase in on-line gambling.

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