Italian regulator Rodano abandons IGT move

Italian regulator Francesco Rodano has abandoned plans to join gaming giant IGT and will instead see out the remainder of his contract with the Italian government, eGaming Review has learned.

Last month eGR revealed gaming director Rodano was set to leave Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (AAMS) after being offered a role as senior director of market strategies and development at IGT’s London offices.

However, Rodano will now remain in his current position until the end of his fixed-term contract, which runs for at least another 12 months.

AAMS was forced to adopt a tough stance on Rodano’s departure after the government in March was ordered by Italy’s Supreme Court to void a number of director-level appointments across a wide-range of governmental departments.

The appointments were judged to have breached the country’s constitution with the decision instantly creating a raft of senior government vacancies, making it difficult to find a suitable replacement for Rodano who himself has been handed additional responsibilities.

Although Rodano was unable to comment specifically on the circumstances surrounding his position, he did confirm that he would be staying at AAMS for at least another year and remained on good terms with IGT.

Rodano has played a key role in the liberalisation of the Italian market in recent years and, amongst other things, has overseen the addition of regulated slots to the casino vertical and the introduction of a wider range of sports betting markets.