Italian Football Pushes to End Betting Sponsorship Ban
Gabriele Gravina, former president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), called on Italy to suspend the gambling sponsorship ban on April 8. He presented an 11-page report that proposed the removal of key parts of the Dignity Decree, the legislation that has prohibited gambling advertising and sports sponsorships since 2019. Gravina stepped down from the FIGC presidency after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time.
Gravina argued the restriction removed major investment from football and did not achieve its public-health objectives. According to the report, Serie A clubs have lost between €100m and €150m annually in sponsorship revenue since the ban came into force. Italian professional football also records collective operating losses that exceed €700m per year.
The report drew on findings from Italy’s Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into illegal gambling, published in 2022, which found that gambling activity increased after the Dignity Decree took effect. The commission also identified growth in underage gambling and illegal betting activity during the same period.
Reform Proposals
The proposals include the redirection of part of betting revenue toward youth academies, stadium construction, and grassroots football. The document also called for a restructure of Italy’s football pyramid from Serie A to Serie D and the restoration of tax incentives for foreign professionals under the former Growth Decree.
The debate arrives as Italy’s online gambling market continues to expand. Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency approved 46 operators under the country’s new online licensing regime at the end of 2025. The process generated €365m in direct state revenue, while online gambling gross revenue is projected to exceed €5.5bn by the end of 2026.
Competitive Gap and Workarounds
A UEFA study published in 2026 identified betting companies as the most common shirt-sponsor category across European football. Italian clubs remain unable to access those deals under the current framework. Some clubs have attempted to bypass the restrictions through infotainment agreements tied to gambling brands, with Inter Milan’s partnership with Betsson Sport the highest-profile example. Gravina’s report stated these arrangements generate far less value than traditional sponsorship contracts.
Political and Regulatory Outlook
Sports Minister Andrea Abodi has also backed reform. Last year, Abodi proposed a Sports Decree that would revoke the sponsorship ban and introduce a 1% tax on sponsorship revenue to fund stadium renovation, women’s sport, grassroots football, and addiction-prevention programs.
At the regulatory level, AGCOM approved new responsible gambling advertising guidelines in March. The framework would allow licensed operators to run responsible gambling campaigns in compliance with the current restrictions. The consultation period is expected to conclude before summer.
With broad political support for sponsorship reform, broader changes to television and digital advertising remain likely to face resistance from public-health groups and opposition parties such as the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party.
TGJ Take
Italian football’s push against the Dignity Decree now centers on economics, not ideology. Serie A clubs continue to lose sponsorship revenue while offshore operators still reach Italian consumers through indirect channels. For licensed operators, a controlled advertising framework would reopen one of Europe’s largest sports marketing markets after six years of restrictions. Affiliates and suppliers should also watch AGCOM’s next steps closely, because Italy appears to move from prohibition toward regulated visibility rather than a full advertising blackout.
