Italy AGCOM Defines Branding Limits for Gambling Operators

Italian media regulator AGCOM has approved final rules for responsible gambling campaigns under the new online gambling regime, drawing a clearer line between permitted operator branding and gambling advertising banned under the Dignity Decree. The final guidelines were approved on July 29 after consultation during spring 2026.

Good to Know

• Licensed online operators must spend 0.2% of annual net revenue on responsible gambling communication, capped at €1 million.
• Operator logos can appear in some campaigns, but the responsible gambling message must dominate.
• Links and QR codes may direct users to neutral protection tools, but not odds, bonuses or gambling offers.

AGCOM Draws a Line Between Prevention and Promotion

Italy allows licensed operators to run responsible gambling campaigns even though the 2018 Dignity Decree continues to prohibit direct and indirect gambling advertising. AGCOM Delibera 200/26/CONS now explains how operators can identify themselves without turning those campaigns into commercial promotion.

A logo or operator brand can appear, but it should remain secondary in size, placement and exposure. Commercial slogans, gambling products, odds, bonuses and promotional messages cannot form part of the communication. AGCOM says the safer gambling content must remain the main element visible to the audience.

The distinction also applies online. Operators can use links or QR codes to direct people toward self exclusion, spending limits and support information. Those links cannot provide direct access to gambling, bonuses or promotional offers.

AGCOM also stopped short of banning short videos, billboards and similar formats. The final version allows shorter material within wider campaigns, particularly where it leads users toward fuller prevention information or support services.

Celebrity use remains tightly controlled. Sports figures, former athletes and other public personalities require particular care, while people already linked to separate commercial activity using the same operator brand cannot act as testimonials in responsible gambling campaigns.

The regulator also wants messages adapted for different age groups rather than excluding vulnerable audiences completely. Its framework identifies children aged 11 to 13 and 14 to 17, adults aged 18 to 24 and people aged 65 or older as groups requiring tailored informational material.

Another part of the framework uses nine behavioural indicators from European standard CEN EN 18144. They include changes in betting frequency, deposits, session duration, losses, withdrawals and player protection settings. Operators can use those indicators when creating prevention messages.

The guidelines arrive while Italy continues enforcing its wider gambling advertising restrictions online. A July ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union found that an online platform may lose hosting liability protection when it takes an active role in reviewing content before entering a commercial partnership with a creator. The case concerned a €750,000 AGCOM fine against Google Ireland over gambling videos on YouTube and now returns to the Italian court for the final application of EU guidance.

Operators also face a separate tax debate. Senator Paolo Marcheschi has introduced Bill 1902, which proposes directing part of revenue from football betting collected in Italy toward football funding from January 2027. The Senate is still considering the proposal, so it remains separate from the new AGCOM communication rules.