Italy’s debate over gambling regulation and football finance has intensified after outgoing Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina urged policymakers to repeal the country’s broad restrictions on gambling advertising and sports sponsorship. In an 11-page reform report, Gravina argued that the ban has not achieved its stated public-health goals and has instead weakened Italian football by cutting off a major source of commercial funding. He also proposed redirecting part of betting-related revenues into youth development, grassroots football, academies, and stadium infrastructure.
A Ban Under Renewed Scrutiny
The report, published on April 8 and originally prepared for a parliamentary hearing that was later canceled, presents Italy’s repeated failures to qualify for the World Cup as symptoms of deeper structural decline rather than short-term sporting mistakes. At the center of Gravina’s argument is the so-called Dignity Decree, introduced in 2018 and implemented from 2019, which imposed a near-total ban on gambling advertising and sports sponsorship.
According to Gravina, the measure has not delivered the social benefits promised by its supporters. The FIGC document cites the findings of Italy’s 2022 Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into illegal gambling, which concluded that gambling activity increased after the ban took effect, including among minors, while illegal wagering also expanded. In Gravina’s view, that record undermines the case for keeping the current framework in place.
Commercial Damage to Clubs
Italian football executives have long argued that the sponsorship ban placed domestic clubs at a significant disadvantage compared with rivals elsewhere in Europe. Gravina’s report references a 2026 UEFA study on club finances that identified betting and gambling companies as the most common shirt-sponsor category across European football. That contrast matters because Italian clubs remain largely excluded from a sponsorship market that many competing leagues continue to access.
Serie A clubs estimate that the ban has cost them roughly €100 million to €150 million per year in lost sponsorship revenue since 2019. Some clubs have attempted to work around the restrictions through “infotainment” or adjacent branding deals with gambling-related subsidiaries. Inter Milan’s partnership with Betsson Sport has often been cited as the most visible example. Still, such arrangements are generally seen as partial substitutes rather than full-value sponsorship agreements.
For a league system already under financial strain, the loss of this revenue has added pressure. Gravina’s report says professional Italian football collectively records more than €700 million in annual operating losses, while debt burdens remain high and financial instability has repeatedly led to club collapses or exclusions from competition.
Youth Development and Structural Weakness
The FIGC report links the funding squeeze to a broader deterioration in the development pipeline. One of its starkest data points is Italy’s ranking for playing time given to under-21 players eligible for the national team. Among 50 monitored leagues, Italy stands 49th, with such players receiving only 1.9% of total minutes. At the same time, foreign players account for 68% of all minutes played in Serie A.
Gravina uses these figures to support the idea that Italy’s sporting setbacks are not isolated failures of coaching or match preparation. Instead, he argues that the system suffers from chronic underinvestment, weak incentives to promote young domestic talent, and a league structure that no longer supports sustainable competitive development. His reform plan therefore combines financial and structural proposals rather than treating sponsorship as a stand-alone issue.
The recommendations include directing a share of betting revenue toward grassroots programs, youth academies, and stadium construction, restoring the tax regime known as the “Growth Decree” for foreign professionals, lifting the advertising and sponsorship ban, and reorganizing the league pyramid from Serie A to Serie D.
Government Reform Momentum
The report arrives at a moment when the Italian government is already reviewing the country’s broader gambling framework. Sports Minister Andrea Abodi, who previously ran against Gravina for the FIGC presidency in 2018 and later called publicly for his resignation, has described the current decree as a “blunt populist tool.” Abodi has been tasked with developing a replacement model.
A sports decree presented last year included provisions to repeal the sponsorship ban and proposed a 1% levy on sponsorship revenues. Under that approach, funds would be earmarked for stadium redevelopment, women’s sport, grassroots initiatives, and addiction-prevention programs. The proposal suggests that policymakers may be seeking a compromise model: reopening sponsorship channels for clubs while preserving dedicated funding for social and public-health objectives.
In parallel, Italy’s communications regulator AGCOM approved new responsible-gambling advertising guidelines in late March. These guidelines create a narrow path for licensed operators to run branded responsible-gambling campaigns without violating the existing restrictions. The consultation process was expected to conclude before summer, potentially creating a regulatory bridge between the current ban and whatever system eventually replaces it.
Black Market Concerns
Industry groups have argued for years that the advertising ban had unintended consequences. In October 2023, the European Gaming and Betting Association said the Dignity Decree had effectively helped the black market by limiting the visibility of licensed operators while failing to suppress betting demand. The association cited estimates of €25 billion in annual unlicensed wagers in Italy and approximately €1 billion in gross gaming revenue lost to offshore operators each year.
Those figures have become central to the policy debate because they shift the focus from morality and messaging to channelization and enforcement. If licensed operators are less visible while demand remains intact, critics argue, users may drift toward illegal platforms that offer no consumer protection, no contribution to tax revenue, and no support for responsible-gambling standards.
Market Size and Political Constraints
Italy remains a major regulated gambling market despite the ongoing restrictions. In late 2025, the Customs and Monopolies Agency approved 46 operators under the country’s new online gambling licensing regime, generating €365 million in direct revenue, above the government’s projected range. Online gambling gross gaming revenue is projected to exceed €5.5 billion by the end of 2026, underscoring the size and economic relevance of the sector.
Even so, reform is far from guaranteed. Legislation formally replacing the Dignity Decree has not yet been introduced in parliament. While there appears to be broad support for some form of sponsorship reform, loosening restrictions on broadcast and digital advertising is likely to encounter stronger opposition from public-health advocates and political parties such as the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party.
That means the most realistic near-term outcome may be a partial reopening rather than a complete liberalization of gambling promotion. Sponsorship on shirts and in stadiums could be treated differently from mass-market advertising, especially if any new framework includes earmarked contributions to youth sport, infrastructure, and addiction services.
A Debate Bigger Than Football
Gravina’s intervention carries extra weight because it comes at the end of a turbulent tenure. Elected FIGC president in October 2018, he oversaw Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020 but also remained in office during the national team’s failures to qualify for both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups. After the defeat to Bosnia, head coach Gennaro Gattuso and general manager Gianluigi Buffon also resigned. Gravina’s successor is set to be elected on June 22.
Whether lawmakers act quickly or not, the report has sharpened a central question for Italian sport: can a modern football system remain competitive if it forgoes a sponsorship category that much of the rest of Europe still uses? Supporters of repeal argue that the current model damages clubs, youth development, and tax collection without reducing gambling harm. Opponents remain wary that normalization of betting brands could carry social costs that outweigh the financial benefits.
For now, Italy appears headed toward a deeper reappraisal of the balance between public health, market regulation, and the funding needs of professional sport. The outcome will shape not only football finances, but also the country’s broader approach to channeling gambling demand into legal, regulated, and socially accountable systems.