Italian football reform: betting, sports rights and the fight against piracy
Italian football is going through a very difficult period. On the 28th of March 2026, the national team failed to qualify for the next World Cup for the third consecutive time. Its last appearance at the tournament was in Brazil in 2014. This is certainly an alarming figure, especially for a country that has won four World Cups and two European Championships.
Alongside the national team’s sporting crisis, Italian clubs have also struggled this season, playing a secondary role in all European competitions.
This is one of the main reasons behind the need and desire to change something. The aim is to propose a reform that can bring Italian football back to its golden years.
Draft reform
Paolo Marcheschi, senator for Fratelli d’Italia and national sports officer for Giorgia Meloni’s party and rapporteur for the resolution on football reform, has presented a draft proposal. The goal of the bill is clear: to restructure the sector and make it more stable and independent.
The senator outlined that the aim of this proposal is not to replace the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) in its central role. Instead, the aim is to support the federation with new ideas that could increase revenue and reduce management costs.
There are two points of the bill that stand out among the six: the proposal to restore the “Quota Totocalcio” and the fight against piracy, seen as an “opportunity” for economic reinvestment.
Sports betting rights and the fight against piracy
The bill proposes recovering sports gaming rights linked to football betting to capitalise on the popularity of the betting sector. This market generates around €16 billion in turnover. Therefore, the idea would be to allocate the 2 per cent of the total to the FIGC. This means around €320 million.
According to the bill, the fight against piracy could also become a source of reinvestment. Part of the funding would come from fines issued by AGCOM, the Italian Communications Regulatory Authority, which oversees and regulates media, telecommunications, and digital platforms.
With this financial support, Italian football would be able to reinvest in youth development, infrastructure and the fight against gambling addiction.
Is this form necessary?
MP Stefano Vaccari, coordinator of the parliamentary intergroup focused on raising awareness of the risks linked to gambling, was one of the first voices to criticise the proposal. He argued that it is wrong to consider gambling as a possible source of funding for football. “It is unacceptable for part of the resources to be allocated to the fight against gambling addiction, while the source of those same resources remains gambling. The prevention of gambling addiction must be a public responsibility, not a chapter funded by the economic system that helps create the problem,” he said.
From a sporting point of view, the reform could help Italian football to find new ways to grow financially. After years of disappointing results, there is a clear desire to start a new chapter and bring back the national team, which started to feel gradually lost after winning the 2006 World Cup.
However, from a governmental, financial, and social perspective, it is necessary to recognise that restoring sports gaming rights and using the fight against piracy as a funding source are sensitive issues. These matters should be separated from the sporting side of the debate. That’s because the broader goal is always to view the betting industry as something capable of bringing growth and stability.
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