Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies

The Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies (L'agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli) was established in 1999 and is the state body regulating the gambling industry, tobacco production and responsible for customs relations in Italy. The regulator has the right to issue appropriate licenses for the organization of gambling in Italy, including the Internet space. Also, impose penalties on operators.

Regulator licensed casinos

The total number of online operators who have received a gambling license in Italy exceeds 100 companies. Among the most recognizable operators in the international market are 888, William Hill, Mrgreen, Evobet, 32red, and others.

Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies review

The history of various state monopolies in certain economic sectors dates back to the 16th century. In general, the state was engaged in regulating any industry that brought significant income to the country's budget, and it was quite personal and justified.

For example, in 1862, a monopoly was established in the production of salt and tobacco products.

If we analyze the history of gambling, Italy can be considered the ancestor of this trend. In 1638 the first gambling house was opened in Venice, later it was closed. And this led to the emergence of "closed gambling clubs", which were later called casinos.

In fact, until 2006, the country had a strict ban on gambling; there was only a small list of land-based casinos and state lotteries. Playing in online casinos was banned. The situation began to change around 2003 when some European operators complained to the Italian Gaming Commission about the extremely strict legislation regarding online gambling. Given that the country is a member of the European Union, an investigation began, which led to a gradual easing of the general rules of the gambling organization in the country.

In 2009, foreign operators were able to enter the Italian market and legally accept bets from citizens of this state, subject to obtaining the appropriate license.
Main objectives of the regulator:

• Contribute to the economic growth of the country
• Protection of Italy's financial interests
• Combating tax evasion
• Protection of citizens' health (quality control of imported products, quality of services, etc.).
• The Autonomous management of state monopolies works as openly and transparently as possible to fulfill the tasks set. It improves the quality of services and makes them more accessible and understandable. For example, on the office's website, there is a very large list of various information, including all legal acts regulating the activities of the Agency.

The list of responsibilities of the Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies is very wide; Casinoz highlighted the main functionality:

• Regulation of gambling in the country. Checks the legality of gambling, issues licenses, and checks the timeliness of payment of taxes.
• Customs administration, internal taxation, and the appointment of the size of customs duties ensure compliance with the Customs Code of the European Union. 
• Tobacco industry management. Controls tobacco production for compliance with local legislation and levies excise duties.
• Social responsibility. Develops rules in the field of gambling, protecting minors and potentially dependent citizens from gambling addiction.

Players can submit an appeal and "self-exclude from gambling." Based on this appeal, citizens will not be served in the casino.

License types of Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies

L'agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli will clearly separate the varieties of licensed games in land-based gambling, as opposed to the online industry. In online all kinds of games are United in one type of license. License types:

• Loterie (lotteries): different types of lotteries including numerical and instant lottery
• Giochi a base sportiva (sports betting): any sports betting
• Giochi a base ippica (horse racing bets): any kind of bets on races or races.
• Apparecchi da intrattenimento (slot machine halls): slot machines located on the premises.
• Giochi di abilità, Carte, Sorte a quota fissa (skill games): games in which players can apply professional skills, such as poker.
• Bingo
• Gioco a distanza (remote games): online casino, sports betting on the Internet, and other online gambling.

Gambling licenses are issued through participation in a public tender. Operators must prove that they are subject to the regulatory and technical framework to provide quality services. Also, the company's average turnover for two years should be at least 1 500 000 Euros. The number of licenses issued is not constant and may vary. Sometimes, licenses are issued on the principle of "first come, first served"; that is, the operator is the first to apply for participation when one receives a license. In

2018, the number of agreements issued on this principle amounted to 120 items. There has been a precedent where operators have challenged the issuance of such licenses on the grounds that they do not comply with the principles of free competition.

Companies (online casinos) that have received a work permit in Italy, pay a tax fee of 20% of gross income.

Dispute resolution

The Agency for Customs and Monopolies protects its players, unfortunately, only in terms of preventing gambling addiction. On this subject, the site provides a lot of information and creates many regulations. However, it is not possible to apply for the intervention of the regulator in a controversial situation, such as non-payment of winnings in an online casino. That is, users can call or write an e-mail with this request, but the result will likely not be.

Currently, there are no precedents that allow us to say that the Italian regulator works with players' appeals in online gambling. The situation is much better with land-based varieties of gambling, where the regulator can significantly affect the institution and defend the player's interests.

Conclusion

The Agency for Customs and Monopolies has vast powers in various areas of economic development in Italy. The name of the organization means full control of the state over the gambling business, customs, and the tobacco industry. According to Casinoz, such a "scattering of attention" will not allow the organization to be sufficiently professional and competent, at least in gambling matters. Suffice it to recall the complaint from European operators on this Commission.

The key factor is the lack of information and assistance in solving players' appeals in online casinos. In general, the regulator is currently engaged only in strict control of operators in terms of timely payments and the legality of games.