Italian regulator seeks to expand online gaming market

Italian regulator Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) has this week launched a public tender for the award of up to 120 online gaming licences. According to Lexology, the new licences will enable operators to set up and run online gaming platforms across various markets. The new licences will cover fixed odds and pool betting on sports and non-sports events, as well as skill games with cash prizes, fixed odds betting with interaction between players, and bingo. Licences will run through to the end of 2022, while successful applicants will be subject to a one-time licence fee of €200,000 ($241,200). Operators have until a deadline of March 19 to submit an application and will be required to meet a series of qualifying criteria set out by the ADM in the tender. Applicants must have a registered office in the European Economic Area (EEA), be active in this region, provide at least one of the games regulated by ADM, and have an overall gaming turnover of at least €1.5m in the last two years. However, the ADM said it would also consider applicants active operating of the EEA with turnover below the threshold, as well as those not solely focused on the gaming sector. The ADM is also open to applicants that undertake an independent appraisal to show that it holds all the required technical and infrastructure capacity, either through its subsidiaries or a parent company, as well as those that have a two-year first demand bank guarantee for an amount of €1.5m. Other criteria set out by the ADM include applicants having a dedicated technical infrastructure that complies with national requirements, as well as members of the corporate bodies of the applicant complying with both the personal and professional requirements of the Italian Public Procurement Code. In addition, the ADM has asked applicants to provide a one-year first-demand guarantee in cash, national bond or via bank or insurance surety for an amount of €100,000. Related article: Italy: Planetwin365 topples Bet365 in sports as casino breaks €50m barrier