Italy's bingo crisis deepens as regulator warns of market failure
Italy's competition watchdog has flagged serious regulatory failures in bingo, warning the framework threatens legal certainty and investment.
Italy's competition authority has sounded the alarm on bingo regulations, warning that the current framework is failing operators and consumers alike. The Italian Competition Authority, known as AGCM, sent a report to parliament identifying structural problems in the sector's governance.
The core issue centres on the 'Bingo a distanza' or distance bingo concession regime. That regime was last renewed in 2013, and the concessions expired at the end of 2024. Operators have been left in regulatory limbo ever since.
AGCM said the rules no longer reflect how the market or technology have evolved. The regulator called for a framework that is more open to competition.
"The current regulation does not guarantee the necessary certainty for operators and does not protect consumers adequately," the AGCM stated in its report"
The numbers paint a stark picture. Physical bingo halls in Italy have collapsed from 200 in 2013 to just 50 in 2025. A progressive decline that shows no sign of reversing under current rules.
The watchdog warned that without reform, the sector faces legal uncertainty, reduced investment, market concentration, and weaker consumer protections. Those are precisely the conditions that push operators toward jurisdictions with clearer rules.
For Malta's iGaming community, this is a direct concern. Several Maltese licensed companies serve the Italian market, either as platform providers, content suppliers, or operators. A chaotic Italian regulatory environment creates compliance headaches and commercial instability for those firms.
The Italian government is working on a broader gambling reform, but the bingo sector has not yet been addressed. AGCM's report increases pressure on Rome to act.
If Italy fails to modernise its bingo framework, the market risks further shrinkage and legal fragmentation. For Maltese operators, that could mean a shrinking addressable market, or opportunities for those who can navigate the uncertainty better than local incumbents.