EGBA Expresses Concern Over Italy’s Plan to Increase iGaming License Fees 35x

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) is “deeply concerned” over Italy’s plan to hike up the license fee for online gambling by 35 times: from the current €200,000 ($219,000) to €7 million ($7.67 million).

EGBA is calling on Italy to rethink its plan, saying it would do more harm than good to the country.

The plan is part of a draft law to overhaul the iGaming sector, which is now being debated by the Council of Ministers of Italy. The draft law proposes to raise the license fee, which has been €200,000 since 2018. A previous proposal to increase the fee to €2.5 million was scrapped.

If the government goes ahead with the new plan, the €7 million fee will be the highest for online gambling in the European Union.

EGBA warns that such a steep increase in fees will drive away gambling operators: the association estimates that only 15–20 of the current 91 operators in Italy will stay. At the same time, the number of new entrants to the iGaming sector will drop, while the illegal gambling market will flourish.

However, EGBA argues that the earlier proposal to raise the fee to €2.5 million would be enough to boost Italy’s budget without risking the exodus of licensed operators and the growth of the black market.