Italy Gambling Study Reveals Gaps in Responsible Play
Italy’s gambling sector sits at the crossroads of deep social division, fragmented oversight and fast-moving technological change. As digitales and online platforms reshape how players engage with gambling, understanding how responsibility is perceived across the ecosystem has become increasingly critical. The way institutions, operators and civil society interpret responsible gambling directly shapes regulation, market behaviour and the real-world effectiveness of player protection. Without a clear, evidence-based view of these perceptions, public discussion risks remaining theoretical, while protective policies struggle to deliver measurable impact.
Italy’s Responsible Gambling Landscape Under the Microscope
New research conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Fondazione FAIR offers a detailed examination of how responsible gambling is understood and applied across Italy’s gaming landscape. The study captures attitudes, expectations and points of friction among key stakeholders, providing insight into the social and regulatory pressures facing the sector.
The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods and is based on 138 interviews conducted nationwide. Sixty in-depth interviews involved institutional voices, including policymakers, academics, third-sector organisations, consumer advocates, religious representatives and concession holders. An additional 78 interviews were carried out with industry participants, mainly owners and managers of betting shops and gaming venues.
Across all groups, respondents acknowledged that the industry has undergone a fundamental shift. Digitalisation, consolidation among major operators and rapid technological innovation were consistently identified as forces transforming both market structure and player behaviour. While there is broad agreement on the need for more sustainable and responsible gambling models, the study highlights a persistent disconnect between stated commitments and everyday practice.
Competing Narratives, Limited Convergence
Two dominant perspectives emerge from the findings. One frames gambling primarily through the lens of social harm, focusing on addiction risks, economic fallout and regulatory shortcomings. The other adopts a more pragmatic stance, treating gambling as a legitimate, regulated form of entertainment that must balance commercial viability with ethical safeguards. These viewpoints coexist within Italy’s policy and public discourse but rarely align.
Negative associations continue to outweigh positive ones. Gambling is most commonly linked to dependency, financial hardship and personal distress, while its perception as leisure or entertainment continues to erode.
Interviewees also pointed to several systemic pressures shaping the sector’s future, including unchecked growth in game availability, increased market concentration, accelerating digital channels and broader economic uncertainty. More than half of participants expressed scepticism about meaningful short-term improvement, particularly in protecting at-risk players.
High Awareness, Uneven Execution
Awareness of the concept of responsible gambling is widespread reported by 94% of operators and 87% of institutional stakeholders but interpretations vary sharply. Operators are more likely to frame responsibility in terms of personal choice and self-regulation, while institutional actors emphasise shared accountability and stronger cooperation between public authorities and industry.
Despite this high level of awareness, practical implementation remains inconsistent. Institutional application, in particular, was rated as weak by many respondents, highlighting gaps between policy intent and enforcement.
There was strong consensus around the need to enhance player safeguards, expand prevention initiatives and promote more informed gambling behaviour. Italy’s current legal framework, including Decree Law 41, was widely described as unclear and poorly communicated, reinforcing calls for a unified national approach, stronger transparency requirements, improved monitoring tools and targeted protections for younger demographics.
A Call for Coordinated Action
Overall, the Ipsos–Fondazione FAIR study paints a picture of a sector in transition but lacking strategic alignment. It underlines the urgency of a coordinated model that brings together regulators, operators, researchers and the third sector around shared objectives.
Without stronger collective responsibility and clearly defined roles, the study warns that responsible gambling strategies in Italy risk remaining aspirational statements rather than evolving into concrete, measurable outcomes capable of addressing real social risks.
