Italy prepares for virtual sports rollout
First new product launched since regulator merged with customs agency.
The Italian customs and monopolies agency (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli) has announced the approval of measures concerning betting on virtual sports, opening a testing process for egaming companies looking to launch such an offering in the dot.it market.
Providers will be required to meet certain criteria and submit their proposed system to AAMS for testing before being given the green light to offer the product, with the country’s national tote ensuring that licensees’ RNGs and payouts are acceptable.
Licensees must “Prepare and make public the official program of virtual sports and non-sports events on which bets can be placed,” providing details on which bet types are permitted, while there will be a daily limit of 500 virtual events.
AAMS is also permitted to revisit the regulation after a 12-month period for a review in the case of anything going wrong.
Inspired Gaming Group (pictured) is among the companies preparing for the launch, which could be the first new product introduced to the dot.it market since regulatory body AAMS merged with the customs authority in December.
The provider has already agreed deals with local operators including Snai, Sisal and Lottomatica – the three market leaders for sports betting in the jurisdiction – and lays claim to 90% of the existing dot.it sports betting market.
AAMS is also in the midst of implementing changes to bingo regulations in the country, allowing operators to offer more than just the 90-ball variant of the game, while consultations over another potential new product – exchange betting – are ongoing.
This follows the introduction of authorisations for online slots in December, with the product helping boost the dot.it casino market despite other verticals such as poker declining.