Italy’s gambling advertising ban is moving into a new clarification phase. AGCOM has started a public consultation on an addendum to its guidelines for communication campaigns against gambling harm.
What AGCOM Covers
This step does not amend the Dignity Decree. The 2018 decree still prohibits direct or indirect gambling promotion across media, sports, digital channels, and social networks. The key issue is where a responsible gambling message turns into marketing.
AGCOM’s review focuses on that boundary. Licensed operators may still have reasons for communicating with their users. However, the regulator wants to make sure that the messages remain strictly preventive, without language or images that could encourage users to gamble.
A Narrower Space for Operators
The suggested framework leaves little space for ambiguity on the operator side. References to odds, jackpots, bonuses, prizes, interface elements, or product features may become risky if they are used in a branded or persuasive context.
This creates a compliance issue for gambling companies operating in Italy. User updates, retention messages, loyalty content and affiliate-led explainers can sit close to marketing. Under a stricter interpretation, even a responsible gambling campaign could raise problems because of branding, presentation or wording.
The same problem applies to influencers and affiliate marketers. Italian law already applies to indirect advertisements. However, digital content has made enforcement harder. Reviews, comparisons, extra details, and social media posts can all blur the line between information and promotion.
Why the Timing Is Sensitive
This consultation takes place amid Italy’s ongoing efforts to reform its online gambling regime. Discussions regarding new online concessions, and more general reforms, have put extra pressure on compliance teams.
Italian football stakeholders have also pushed for a review of sponsorship restrictions. In particular, Italian football teams lost access to betting sponsorship income after the Dignity Decree, while clubs in other European countries continued commercial relationships with gambling companies. This lobbying pressure has ensured the ban has remained part of the political discussion.
AGCOM is not planning to reverse the ban. Its current work points in the opposite direction. AGCOM is working to define the limited communications that can remain inside the ban and to prevent prevention messages from becoming a front for promotion.
Enforcement Moves Beyond Classic Ads
The Italian example further demonstrates how gambling advertising enforcement has shifted from old media formats. Regulators must now assess push notifications, CRM marketing campaigns, social media influencer posts, affiliate marketing, and harm-prevention messages.
Operators have more to worry about than the traditional TV commercial or shirt sponsorship. A campaign can face scrutiny because of many factors, including buttons, logos, bonuses or links to operator platforms.
Key Takeaways
Italy is not softening its gambling ad ban through this consultation. AGCOM appears to be preparing a tighter playbook for responsible gambling communication in the digital market. The safest path for licensed operators will be plain, support-led communication with no commercial signals attached.
