aams Revenue fiGuRes foR the last two yeaRs Gaming type
2009
Remote betting Horse racing
Remote betting on horse racing Fixed odds sports betting Remote skill games
Remote lottery and Win+ Remote bingo
€3,965,290 €28,724,587 €82,851,652
€1,221,605,103 €2,347,519,243 €5,025,186 -
2010
€1,799,876 €27,624,464 €71,242,502
€1,353,178,392 €3,145,944,940 21,085,941
€146,141,067
Meanwhile back in the summer of 2009 the Italian government began to talk about liberalising the country’s remote gambling division by structuring a new legislation. This would extend its licensing procedure for remote betting, pools and lotteries, skill games with cash prizes and bingo.
It has also regulated and introduced new online games otherwise referred to as ‘New Games’. It is now suggested that the Italian remote market will generate around €5.8bn in turnover this year and €849m in gross wins whilst the launch of the new games will add an additional €200m into the tax coffers of the Italian government.
In March this year the AAMS published its long awaiting Game Licence Decree (Comunitaria Law 2008) implementing the law 88/2009 which set forth general terms and conditions for licensing as well as administrative and technical requirements of operators systems and infrastructures.
This decree replaced previous legislation and introduced new rules for remote skill games with cash prizes; introduced and regulated fixed odds remote games of chance with cash prizes (casino games) and introduced and regulated remote cash based card games in non tournament form (mainly poker cash).
This meant the national offering of online
games now includes sports betting, poker tournaments, skill games, bingo, poker-cash and casino games (excluding slots). Poker Cash games were launched in February 2011 and casino games were due to be launched in June 2011.
The proposed tax level for the new online games (cash poker and casino games) is now a flat 20 per cent on gross profits, higher than the existing 2-5 per cent tax on bets in sports betting and the three per cent on GGR for poker competitions and skill games.
On-line betting exchange and virtual betting are also switched to the 20 per cent on gross profits tax.
This was quite an historical change for the Italian gaming market as all the other games have a taxation regime based on turnover rather than profit. This provision however paves the way for the launch of games that otherwise could never have been offered in
200 new Remote licences aRe
BeinG awaRded on a fiRst come fiRst seRved Basis.
Italy given its previous penalising turnover based tax regime that is expected to continue on sports and horse race betting, bingo, lotteries and skill games.
There are 200 new remote licences which are being awarded by the AAMS on a first come first served basis which are each available for a nine year term covering all games. Operators will only have until the 31st of December 2011 to apply for a licence.
Participation in the licensing procedure is permitted to any operator who is licensed to conduct activities in an EEA country and have seen €1.5m in gaming revenues over the last two years or post the same amount as a guarantee with the AAMS.
Non-EEA gaming operators can also apply if they are licensed in their country and must post the €1.5m guarantee with AAMS. The same applies to non gaming operators.
At the time of filing the licence application a one year first demand bid guarantee must be posted with AAMS for an amount equal to 50 per cent of the applicable licence fee. Existing operators who wish to continue offering online games must have filed their application by April 2011.
The AAMS has stipulated that these games can now only be offered after the publication of
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italy
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