Italian football betting: draft reform provides for €224 million a year
Italian football is looking for new ways to strengthen its economic sustainability. Among the options under discussion, the involvement of the regulated sports betting market is back on the table. The new version of the bill promoted by Senator Paolo Marcheschi reopens an issue that has been debated for years: the use of part of the resources generated by betting to provide direct support to the national football system.
The proposal, which is still being defined as part of the legislative process, aims to introduce a contribution on sports betting related to football events from 1 January 2027. The mechanism recalls the old model of the “Schedina” and “Totocalcio”, under which a share of gambling revenue helped fund Italian sport.
The issue comes at a delicate time for the entire football ecosystem. Many clubs, particularly in the lower divisions, are facing growing financial difficulties, while operating costs and the need for structural investment continue to rise. In this context, the regulated gambling sector is once again being considered as a possible source of economic support.
How the 2% levy on sports betting would work
The central point of the new draft concerns the introduction of a contribution equal to 2 per cent of the amount staked on each sports bet linked to football events and collected in Italy. The measure would apply to both the online market and the retail network of authorised licensees.
According to the estimates contained in the proposal’s technical report, the calculation is based on total sports betting stakes of around €16 billion a year. Given that around 70 per cent of this volume would be attributable to football, the reference base would amount to €11.2 billion.
This figure could generate approximately €224 million in annual revenue for allocation to the national football system. The objective would not be to impose an additional tax burden on betting operators, but to create a system to redistribute resources. For this reason, the bill also provides for a revision of the single tax on sports betting to keep the overall level of state revenue unchanged.
Where would the new resources generated by betting go?
One of the most significant aspects of the proposal is that the funds would be earmarked for specific purposes. The sums collected through the betting contribution would be transferred to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and then redistributed according to defined criteria.
The main part of the resources would be allocated to areas considered strategic for the future of Italian football. At least half of the total would be used to fund youth academies, the training of young Italian footballers, regional federal centres, and improvements to public sports infrastructure.
A significant share would also be dedicated to preventing and combating problem gambling, creating a direct link between revenue generated by the gambling sector and social responsibility programmes. The remaining funds would be allocated to the growth of women’s football and the strengthening of amateur football schools, with the aim of supporting the grassroots of the sport.
Football reform also looks at TV rights and club sustainability
The section dedicated to betting is only one part of a broader reform project for Italian football. The Marcheschi bill also intervenes in other structural aspects of the system. The issues addressed include a new approach to the distribution of television rights, stronger controls on clubs’ financial sustainability, limits on commissions paid to sports agents, and incentives to encourage the use of young Italian footballers aged under 23.
The proposal also addresses the total number of professional clubs, proposing a maximum of 80. The measure is intended to make the system more sustainable from both an economic and competitive perspective.
Italy’s Dignity Decree and the relationship between football and gambling operators
Alongside the issue of the 2 per cent contribution on sports betting, another particularly important issue remains open for the iGaming sector: the possible revision of Italy’s Dignity Decree. Since 2018, restrictions on gambling operators’ advertising and sponsorship activities have significantly changed the commercial relationship between sports clubs and betting companies.
During the informal hearing at the Chamber of Deputies’ Culture Committee on the state of Italian football, Lega Pro president Matteo Marani highlighted the need to identify new tools to increase clubs’ revenue-generating capacity. From this perspective, a revision of sponsorship rules could offer new economic opportunities for sports clubs while maintaining a balance between the need to protect consumers and the prevention of problem gambling.
A reform balancing economic sustainability and new market rules
The political debate on the future of Italian football therefore remains open and also directly involves the regulated betting sector. On the one hand, there is a desire to revive a model in which part of the economic value generated by betting flows back into the sport, a development that plays a decisive role in market growth. On the other hand, it remains essential to find a balance that does not undermine the sustainability of authorised operators.
The new draft of the Marcheschi bill therefore represents a possible turning point in the relationship between football, public institutions, and the gambling industry. In the coming months, the parliamentary process will clarify whether the 2 per cent contribution on betting will actually become one of the tools used to finance the future of Italian football.
This article was originally published on the Italian SiGMA News page on 5 June 2026.
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