Italy: "We are close to lifting the ban on legal gambling advertising" (E. Simonelli, Serie A)

"Our first objective, which we are close to achieving, is to lift the ban on legal gambling advertising, which puts Italian clubs at a disadvantage compared to their competitors. Take the Premier League: 13 of its teams display betting company as shirts sponsors. In Italy, there is a decree that prevents the public from differentiating between legal and illegal gambling. There is a growing awareness that this measure needs to be rescinded," said Ezio Simonelli, president of Lega Serie A, on the programme “La Politica nel Pallone” on the Italian public radio station “Rai Gr Parlamento” on 10/03/2025.

Under the ”Dignity” decree-law of 12/07/2018, Italian professional sports clubs have been prevented from advertising gambling or cash-gain betting companies since 01/07/2019. But the comparison with England only goes so far, as Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to ban sports betting operators as main shirt sponsors from the 2026-27 season (as announced on 13/04/2023).

"For those of us who believe in entrepreneurial freedom under balanced regulations, it is impossible not to…