{"id":70907,"date":"2026-04-10T00:14:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/italy-eyes-gambling-sponsorship-return-as-football-federation-links-ad-ban-to-structural-decline-igaming-bitcoin-news\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T00:14:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:14:42","slug":"italy-eyes-gambling-sponsorship-return-as-football-federation-links-ad-ban-to-structural-decline-igaming-bitcoin-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/italy-eyes-gambling-sponsorship-return-as-football-federation-links-ad-ban-to-structural-decline-igaming-bitcoin-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy Eyes Gambling Sponsorship Return as Football Federation Links Ad Ban to Structural Decline \u2013 iGaming Bitcoin News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Outgoing FIGC president Gravina calls for Dignity Decree repeal in 11-page reform report<\/li>\n<li>Serie A clubs estimate \u20ac100M-\u20ac150M per year in lost sponsorship since 2019 ad ban<\/li>\n<li>Italy ranks 49th of 50 leagues for under-21 national team-eligible playing time at 1.9%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>A Seven-Year Ban Under Fire From All Sides After Huge Sporting Failure<\/h2>\n<p>Gravina published <a href=\"https:\/\/www.figc.it\/en\/figc\/news\/the-report-on-the-state-of-italian-football-has-been-published-pmhn7ati\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">the report<\/a> on April 8, which was originally prepared for a parliamentary hearing that was canceled after his departure. The document frames Italy\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>Gravina cited the final report of Italy\u2019s own Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into illegal gambling, published in 2022, which found that gambling actually increased after the ban took effect \u2013 including among minors \u2013 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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u20135-Star Movement coalition government as part of its broader labor and anti-poverty package and was contentious from inception.<\/p>\n<p>The coalition itself collapsed within a year, but the ad ban remained. Some teams have since worked around the restrictions through \u201cinfotainment\u201d partnerships with gambling subsidiaries \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/igamingbusiness.com\/marketing-affiliates\/marketing\/betsson-works-around-italy-advertising-ban-with-new-inter-milan-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Inter Milan\u2019s deal with Betsson Sport<\/a> being the most prominent example \u2013 but these arrangements fall well short of full sponsorship value.<\/p>\n<p>Gravina\u2019s 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, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com.my\/sport\/football\/2026\/04\/09\/soccer-italy-federation-seeks-betting-cash-youth-incentives-to-halt-decline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">at just 1.9 percent<\/a>. Foreigners account for 68 percent of all minutes played in Serie A. Professional Italian football collectively loses more than \u20ac700 million per year in aggregate operating losses, compounded by high debt levels and a history of clubs collapsing or being excluded from competitions.<\/p>\n<p>Gravina\u2019s proposals include channeling a percentage of betting revenues into grassroots programs, academies and stadium construction, reinstating the \u201cGrowth Decree\u201d tax regime for foreign professionals, lifting the advertising and sponsorship ban, and restructuring the league pyramid from Serie A through Serie D.<\/p>\n<p>The report lands amid a broader government push to overhaul Italy\u2019s 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 \u201cblunt populist tool\u201d and has been tasked with developing a replacement. <a href=\"https:\/\/sbcnews.co.uk\/featurednews\/2025\/07\/17\/italy-autumn-waltz-gambling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Abodi presented a Sports Decree last year<\/a> that included provisions for repealing the ad ban, with a proposed 1 percent levy on sponsorship revenues earmarked for stadium redevelopment, women\u2019s and grassroots sport, and addiction programs.<\/p>\n<p>Italy\u2019s communications regulator AGCOM approved <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamingtechlaw.com\/2026\/04\/italian-responsible-gambling-advertising-rules-strict-obligations-opportunity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">new guidelines<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>The European Gaming and Betting Association argued in October 2023, responding to an investigation by La Gazzetta dello Sport, that the Dignity Decree has <a href=\"https:\/\/sbcnews.co.uk\/sportsbook\/2023\/10\/19\/egba-end-dignity-decree-ban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">actively aided the black market<\/a>, citing estimates of \u20ac25 billion in annual unlicensed wagers in Italy and roughly \u20ac1 billion in gross gaming revenue lost to offshore operators each year.<\/p>\n<p>Italy\u2019s Customs and Monopolies Agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yogonet.com\/international\/news\/2025\/07\/28\/112648-adm-extends-licensing-process-as-italy-weighs-advertising-law-reform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">approved 46 operators<\/a> for the country\u2019s new online gambling licensing regime in late 2025, generating \u20ac365 million in direct revenue, which was above the government\u2019s projected range. Online gambling gross gaming revenue is projected to surpass \u20ac5.5 billion by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Gravina was elected FIGC president in October 2018 and oversaw Italy\u2019s Euro 2020 triumph, but also presided over the country\u2019s failure to qualify for both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso and general manager Gianluigi Buffon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/2\/world-cup-2026-italys-football-chief-resigns-after-qualifying-failure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">also resigned<\/a> in the wake of the Bosnia defeat. His successor will be elected on June 22.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/italy-eyes-gambling-sponsorship-return-as-football-federation-links-ad-ban-to-structural-decline\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways: Outgoing FIGC president Gravina calls for Dignity Decree repeal in 11-page reform report Serie A clubs estimate \u20ac100M-\u20ac150M 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3947362403,"featured_media":70908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70907"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3947362403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}