The agency will carry out checks on online gambling license applications until November 12.
Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli or ADM or Italy has announced an extension to the approval process for new online gambling licenses in the country to November.
The government agency responsible for gambling regulation in Italy, ADM, will keep on processing applications until November 12. It said that this will let its staff to carry out full checks of applicants.
Initially, the process had been due to conclude by September 17, after which successful operators would have six months to launch.
Yet, the agency did not clarify whether this extension would impact plans for existing licenses. ADM said previously that current license-holders could keep on offering gambling until March of the following year, after which only those with new licenses will be able to operate.
On May 30, ADM concluded its tender process to award remote gambling concessions. All in all, 46 applications have secured initial approval in Italy.
Betfair, Snaitech, and Sisal are among the successful applicants, all owned by Flutter Entertainment. Italia (or Evoke), Hillside (or Bet365), LeoVegas, Betsson, and William Hill have also secured initial approval from ADM.
Those given the green light should now pay a license fee of €7 million or $8.2 million for the next stage. This fee applies to each vertical per brand.
Nevertheless, this license fee has proved a major stumbling block for many operators. Regulators set the fee at €200,000 in the last round of licensing, well below the new amount.
The last license procedure in 2018 drew a total of 93 submissions. This time, applicants submitted only 46 applications. Of those, regulators granted approval to 81 to offer online gambling in Italy.
