Italy Eyes Gambling Sponsorship Return as Football Federation Links Ad Ban to Structural Decline – iGaming Bitcoin News

Key Takeaways:

• Outgoing FIGC president Gravina calls for Dignity Decree repeal in 11-page reform report
• Serie A clubs estimate €100M-€150M per year in lost sponsorship since 2019 ad ban
• Italy ranks 49th of 50 leagues for under-21 national team-eligible playing time at 1.9%

A Seven-Year Ban Under Fire From All Sides After Huge Sporting Failure

Gravina published the report on April 8, which was originally prepared for a parliamentary hearing that was canceled after his departure. The document frames Italy’s repeated World Cup failures as symptoms of structural decay rather than short-term mismanagement. Among its central arguments is that the 2018 Dignity Decree, which imposed a near-total ban on gambling advertising and sports sponsorships, has deprived Italian football of critical funding without achieving its public health objectives.

Gravina cited the final report of Italy’s own Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into illegal gambling, published in 2022, which found that gambling actually increased after the ban took effect – including among minors – and that illegal wagering grew alongside it. The FIGC report also referenced a 2026 UEFA study on European club finances which identified betting and gambling companies as the most common shirt sponsor category across the continent, underscoring the competitive disadvantage facing Italian clubs.

Serie A clubs have estimated losses of at least 100 to 150 million euros annually in foregone sponsorship revenue since the Dignity Decree took effect in 2019. It was introduced by the short-lived Lega–5-Star Movement coalition government as part of its broader labor and anti-poverty package and was contentious from inception.

The coalition itself collapsed within a year, but the ad ban remained. Some teams have since worked around the restrictions through “infotainment” partnerships with gambling subsidiaries – Inter Milan’s deal with Betsson Sport being the most prominent example – but these arrangements fall well short of full sponsorship value.

Gravina’s FIGC report also highlights the dire state of Italian youth development. Italy ranks 49th out of 50 monitored leagues for the percentage of minutes played by under-21 players eligible for the national team, at just 1.9 percent. Foreigners account for 68 percent of all minutes played in Serie A. Professional Italian football collectively loses more than €700 million per year in aggregate operating losses, compounded by high debt levels and a history of clubs collapsing or being excluded from competitions.

Gravina’s proposals include channeling a percentage of betting revenues into grassroots programs, academies and stadium construction, reinstating the “Growth Decree” tax regime for foreign professionals, lifting the advertising and sponsorship ban, and restructuring the league pyramid from Serie A through Serie D.

The report lands amid a broader government push to overhaul Italy’s gambling regulatory framework. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi, who ran against Gravina for the FIGC presidency in 2018 and publicly called for his resignation after the Bosnia defeat, has described the Dignity Decree as a “blunt populist tool” and has been tasked with developing a replacement. Abodi presented a Sports Decree last year that included provisions for repealing the ad ban, with a proposed 1 percent levy on sponsorship revenues earmarked for stadium redevelopment, women’s and grassroots sport, and addiction programs.

Italy’s communications regulator AGCOM approved new guidelines for responsible gambling advertising in late March, establishing a narrow framework under which licensed operators can run branded responsible gambling campaigns without breaching the existing ban. The 30-day consultation period was expected to conclude before summer, potentially creating a bridge between the current prohibition and whatever replaces it.

The European Gaming and Betting Association argued in October 2023, responding to an investigation by La Gazzetta dello Sport, that the Dignity Decree has actively aided the black market, citing estimates of €25 billion in annual unlicensed wagers in Italy and roughly €1 billion in gross gaming revenue lost to offshore operators each year.

Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency approved 46 operators for the country’s new online gambling licensing regime in late 2025, generating €365 million in direct revenue, which was above the government’s projected range. Online gambling gross gaming revenue is projected to surpass €5.5 billion by the end of 2026.

Legislation to formally replace the Dignity Decree has not yet been introduced in parliament, and while sponsorship reform enjoys broad political support, easing restrictions on broadcast and digital advertising is expected to face stronger resistance from public health groups and opposition parties like the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party.

Gravina was elected FIGC president in October 2018 and oversaw Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph, but also presided over the country’s failure to qualify for both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso and general manager Gianluigi Buffon also resigned in the wake of the Bosnia defeat. His successor will be elected on June 22.