The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has moved the introduction of gambling reforms to the front of the government’s agenda for spring 2026, with the Reorganization...
Italy considers ending gambling ad ban after World Cup crisis
After Italy failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the third time in a row, the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina resigned on April 2, 2026, and has now called to lift the ban on gambling sponsorships and allocate gambling revenue to youth development programs.
Gravina’s 11-page report was published on April 8, 2026, defining Italy’s World Cup failures as the result of structural issues rather than mismanagement, with one of the main arguments of the report being against the 2018 Dignity Decree, which enforced a blanket ban on gambling advertising and sports sponsorships. The report stresses that the ban has cut off necessary funding for Italian football and has also failed to achieve its public health goals.
Gravina’s arguments are based on Italy’s Parliamentary Commission’s 2022 report about illegal gambling, which revealed that gambling in fact increased after the ban, especially among minors.
The ex-FIGC President’s report also included data from a 2026 UEFA study, which found that betting and gambling operators were the most common shirt sponsors in Europe, and Italy’s ban has caused a huge competitive disadvantage for local teams.
It’s estimated that Serie A clubs have lost from €100 to €150 million annually in sponsorship revenue after the ban took effect in 2019.
Now, there are discussions to reintroduce regulated gambling sponsorships, but formal legislation hasn’t been announced yet. In 2025, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi introduced proposals to ease the gambling sponsorship ban, but no notable progress was achieved.
Italy is preparing to publish the country’s land-based gambling reform decree on April 10, 2026, moving towards the government’s overhaul of the gambling sector.The...
