One of the oldest pastimes, the fine sport of gambling, is at risk with strict new laws taking effect in countries like Italy, with the government’s 2018 implementation of the Dignity Decree that directly affects advertising gambling in Italy.

The creation of the Dignity Decree placed a strict ban on gambling-related companies from advertising, providing sponsorship, the marketing of gaming services & products, and all promos related to gambling including on billboards as well as online.

Talk about a challenge for gaming companies operating in Italy, this decree hits advertisers and sponsors hard but also sponsees, such as with soccer clubs are losing huge amounts in potential sponsorships from online gambling companies.

What is the Italian gambling dignity decree?

The Italian Gambling Dignity Decree would be approved and implemented in 2018 drastically changing the way in which gambling-related companies would be able to advertise within Italy. The general gist of the decree prevents direct and indirect gambling related advertising such as  commercial ads, billboards, and sponsorships either in print form or online including social media platforms. A financial nuisance and major obstacle for the surge of online gambling companies that have recently hit the online space in Italy.

The purpose of the Italian Gambling Dignity Decree, which was ushered in by Italy’s Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM), was to establish a layer of control and protection for Italian citizens reducing exposure to gambling opportunities and therefore preventing a potential rise in gambling addiction.

Another key component of the Decree was the new layer of player protection being provided. In just the last year alone due to COVID-19 and mandatory stay-at-home orders imposed throughout Italy there has been a steep rise in the number of online gamblers with a diverse background counting young professionals and elderly amongst the spectrum of players.

The caveat of the dignity decree is the ability for companies to advertise if promoting and pushing messages surrounding responsible gambling and legal gambling products and services, however even during these promotional campaigns gambling companies are still not permitted to use their logo or branding.

The country’s gambling advertising ban on sports

The Italian gambling Dignity Decree has had an immediate and direct effect on sports in Italy from the Olympics all the way to A series sports clubs. As most of Italy’s sports clubs work with betting companies through sponsorship support the loss in ability to advertise alongside them is leaving clubs at a financial disadvantage.

Post COVID and a year-long shutdown the sporting industry including football clubs have had to aggressively rally to find new business solutions pressing them to demand from the Italian government a suspension of the Decree.

Getting new clients with the Italian gambling advertising ban

The question you’re probably asking yourself is the same question every gambling company operating in Italy once asked: So then how do we acquire new clients if we aren’t permitted to advertise?

Let’s see the possibilities a company has with the advertising ban:

What’s banned by the Italian gambling Dignity Decree

As we mentioned above, the Italian gambling Dignity Decree limits the possibilities of advertising gambling in Italy.

To protect Italian players it prevents both, direct and indirect gambling related print and online advertising including commercials, sponsorships and billboards.

Advertising gambling in Italy: what’s still possible?

Despite Italy’s Anti-gambling 5Star movement and the current administration’s support of the Decree there have been countless pleas from the business, sports and gambling-related sector to suspend the Decree.

The holy grail of workarounds for gambling companies is the popular online practice of affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing occurs when online companies pay websites to mention and link their company.

The advertisement in this marketing tactic involves text and links (SEO) as opposed to flashy advertisements oftentimes found on the side of articles we read, or our Facebook feeds, or even the advertisements when we Google search.

Casino comparison sites in Italy

Affiliate marketing in Italy is essential for online gambling companies to be able to reach potential new players while respecting the italian gambling advertising ban.

The necessity of affiliate marketing for advertising gambling in Italy has then created the need for casino comparison sites such as ProCasino, where players can find all the casinos related information in one place and can pick the one that best fit their needs.

These casino comparison sites are flooding the online space, with new sites operating and catering to gambling-related companies in need of affiliate marketing. These sites tend to create a spreadsheet of comparisons including the gambling company’s welcome deposit bonuses, fee amounts, payout times and a number of other key information a player may be interested in learning.

A popular new section being added to comparison sites includes the deposit and payout options as gambling-related companies are finding Millennial and Gen Z users in particular looking more and more to use cryptocurrencies when playing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that the Italian gambling Dignity Decree, as much as it is making advertising gambling in Italy through common practices almost impossible, it has also proved its effectiveness in protecting players.

Furthermore, the Italian gambling advertising ban is permitting the growth of casino comparison sites that provide updated information on various providers. Each user can then compare all the platforms, evaluate which one best fits his knowledge, possibilities and needs.