In an unsettling twist for Italy’s gaming industry, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister this week proposed replacing the nation’s slots with pinball machines. A post on the Minister of Labour and Economic Development’s official Facebook page a post stated, “We put pinball machines back in the bars, instead of the slots. Pinballs have never ruined anyone.”
Japan, for one, might disagree; there, pinball machines for money, albeit small change, are a huge deal and, debatably, a problem for some people, even if a relatively contained and regulated one. And New York City mayor Fiorello Laguardia was so unsettled by the pinball industry in his city in the Forties that he was photographed taking a sledgehammer to the machines.
That aside, the remark continues to shake an already discombobulated industry struggling to come to terms with the near total ban on gambling advertising due to start on January 1st.
Italy’s Dignity Decree also hints at further powers which may be put in place after the ban, which the government has stated will be the first of several measures. Other measures which are expected may include limiting licensees, restricting wagering in some manner, reinforcing regulative powers, and providing a host of new treatment and support programmes for those at risk of problem gambling.
Previous PM Matteo Renzi had previously promised to cut the nation’s slot machines by a third, to which the industry had a relatively mild, disbelieving response. It was never clear how real this promise, or threat, was. Now, however, it seems fair to assume that suppliers and operators are taking the words of the current government very seriously indeed. They’ve already shown they’re willing to put their money (literally: their tax revenue) where their mouths are and restrict gambling. It’s going to get tighter yet.
It’s going to be interesting to watch the brakes getting applied to an industry which has experienced such growth. While live gambling has stagnated, Italy’s online gambling scene has shown major growth over past years, and there was no sign of a ceiling until this one, applied externally in the name of protecting the public. The dust has barely begun to blow, but it’ll be a fascinating show for disinterested observers – and a fraught time, indeed, for resident operators.
