The reorganization of retail land-based gaming is not just a technical reform. It is the real industrial match of 2026 for the sector, just as it was in 2025 for the online gaming and Lotto tenders. The Government aims to bring – according to the news agency Agimeg – the decree to the Council of Ministers by the end of the month, close the passage in the Unified Conference (with the Regions) by March, and then accelerate the parliamentary process before the fiscal delegation expires on August 29. Tight timelines, because what’s at stake is not just the rule: it’s the redistribution of an entire market.
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The objective of the Ministry of Economy and Finance is clear and easily understandable: less fragmentation, uniform rules, and more solid and reliable operators. However, this is a trend that has been underway for years, considering that already today, 87% of licenses are concentrated among the top 5 betting brands.
To think about and design a new tender for physical gaming, it is necessary to review the rules, particularly those on distance meters. The solution that seems to be emerging is 100 meters for certified points (those with regular concessions) and 200 meters for non-certified points. The aim is to rationalize the network.
Translated: those who are structured remain, those who are borderline risk exiting with rules that are increasingly difficult to comply with.
Betting tender: “block” model, higher entry barrier
The most significant novelty concerns the betting tender. The proposed solution is as follows:
- blocks of 25 licenses
- €50,000 per license
- €1.25 million starting bid per block for each company
- 10,000 total licenses (in line with the current network)
- maximum cap of 30-40% per concessionaire
- licenses awarded based on auctions
One of the most important novelties, according to the agency, is that there will be no distinction between agencies and corners, according to what is filtering from the MEF at the request of the main bookmakers and investors.
The message is clear: stop to micro-operators, only those with strong financial backing will enter. Retail becomes a game for capitalized companies, no longer for small entrepreneurs. This is the direction that has been chosen and is consistent with what was implemented in 2025 with the online tender (and the ban on Skins). A political direction destined to cause considerable controversy, considering that small entrepreneurs, the base of this sector for decades, risk being left on the sidelines. They will probably have to rely on multinational companies.
Slots and VLTs: fewer machines, heavier investments
Same philosophy for amusement machines such as slots (AWP) and VLTs.
- blocks of 4,000 AWPs + 800 VLTs
- starting bid around €25 million per block
- reduction of the national machine park (200,000 AWPs, 45,000 VLTs)
Here the keyword is consolidation. Less quantity, more control, higher investments.
Bingo: softer approach
In this case, regarding bingo, the Government seems to be heading towards a tender with these general solutions:
- 210 rooms compared to about 180 active ones
- €350,000 per license
Less stressed segment, closer to real demand.
The meaning of the reorganization of land-based gaming
The Government is not just cashing in but is also redesigning the market structure, although we are aware that, for implementation, it will also depend heavily on how this reorganization is received by local authorities. For this reason, a framework agreement with the regions is important.
In summary, there will be fewer widespread concessions, the presence of more structured groups, greater compliance and controls, but also concentration. And we know that when a market is excessively concentrated, it is never positive for competition and the entry of small entrepreneurs, but the MEF has taken this direction to increase anti-money laundering controls and introduce addiction control procedures that require well-organized structures on the company and operator side.
In fact, however, it is an industrial selection, and whoever has more capital and is structured wins. And, as always in Italian gaming, those who arrive undercapitalized risk being left out before even sitting at the table.
Land-based betting, the map of Italy (today) and the real match that is about to begin (tomorrow)
The snapshot taken from the data of the Customs and Monopolies Agency and reprocessed by Agimeg tells of an Italy with 9,773 total betting points, divided between 5,659 agencies and 4,114 corners. A capillary network, almost one point per neighborhood, which over the years has transformed physical collection into a daily presence in the territory.
The regions with the most gaming points in betting
The distribution of concessionary points in the territory currently shows this configuration and concentration:
- Campania: over 2,100 points, about a quarter of the national total
- Lombardy: more than 1,300
- Sicily: above 1,100
- Followed by Puglia (987) and Lazio (957)
- There is a big gap with Piedmont at about 500, all the rest below this threshold
Five regions that alone account for the lion’s share and concentrate the majority of the Italian retail network.
Translated: land-based betting in Italy lives above all where there is urban density, a habit of gaming, and a popular commercial fabric. Bars, tobacconists, corners, agencies: not just points of sale, but social micro-hubs.
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At the extreme opposite, we find Molise, Basilicata, Trentino
Retail betting tender – the snapshot of brands before the auction
The current map of betting points in Italy is a key element for understanding the competitive dynamics in view of the license tender. According to ADM data processed by Agimeg, the retail market today is characterized by a strong concentration by brand and industrial groups, with a clear predominance of a few main operators.
In total, there are 9,773 betting points across the territory, including agencies and corners — the licenses that will be subject to tender in the coming months.
Leading Brands – Market Share and Positioning
Today, the ranking of brands by number of active licenses in agencies and corners is as follows:
- Goldbet Better Organization Italy (GBO Italy Lottomatica + Goldbet) leads the list with almost 3,000 points, or over 30% of active licenses out of the total.
- Snaitech (Flutter Group) is second with 1,940 licenses.
- Sisal (Flutter Group) follows with 1,534 licenses.
- Eurobet (Entain Group) exceeds 1,000 licenses.
- Planetwin365 (GBO Italy brand) is also above 1,000 points.
These five brands alone concentrate about 87% of the Italian retail betting market (between agencies and corners).
By groups, the concentration of licenses is as follows:
- GBO Italy approximately 4,000
- Flutter International approximately 3,470
- Eurobet-Entain 1,000
The issue of the new tender and future scenarios
As we have seen, the market is already concentrated among these three international groups and six well-known brands familiar to Italian bettors in the physical network. And all conditions are in place for this trend to be further consolidated, as we are talking about brands belonging to three groups with strong financial backing.
All these companies already know the market very well, region by region. Therefore, it is not easy for foreign brands to enter, who until now have remained on the sidelines.
The real success of the tender, however, depends on the Unified Conference between the Government and the Regions, scheduled for March if the tenders are submitted by the end of February. In that forum, the real match will be played on the rules (distance meters above all).
There will also be increased controls that require significant structures for anti-money laundering, traceability, as well as implementing more concrete policies on sensitive issues such as social responsibility and stricter limits on players. Those without adequate technological infrastructure and governance (which is costly) risk being left out.
Then there is the fundamental issue, both for player retention and for betting risk management policies, on the integration between physical and digital points, with new technologies applied (artificial intelligence). But the future is retail connected to the network but also to other games (slots in agencies and virtual betting).
Will anything change in the market? Will the balance shift? Very difficult, but more likely a consolidation, including the acquisition of local networks by these large national and international groups.
It is likely that collection will be concentrated only in points of sale that are functioning, cutting out marginal ones. The philosophy could be: fewer shops but more functional ones, and above all integrated with digital.
Then there is the technological aspect; we have also seen it online: those with better technology have an advantage in the long run.
Italy continues to be one of the most important land-based markets, perhaps number one. If bookmakers in the UK are suffocated by new taxes, Italy could become the reference market. Online is growing, but land-based betting continues to have an important weight (if we consider the 10,000 points but with stricter rules and stronger operators).
The future of betting starts with high capitalization of operators, technology, and organization. It is increasingly “capitalistic” betting and less devoted to improvisation.
