Open discussion about the future of the food sector legal game and reforms that have been awaited for years. This is the essence of the conference “The Legal Game: Slow Reform, Delays and Damage”, organized by AGSI – Association of Italian Betting Managers – which in Naples brought together representatives of institutions, sector representatives, academia and the world of sport to analyze the state of the art of a sector that is often affected by regulatory uncertainty and cultural prejudice.
The meeting was opened by the Chairman of AGSI, Pasquale Chiacchiowhich highlights the enthusiasm of the Association in facing the challenges of reform: «”As an Association, we have a culture of constructive discussions, based on joint proposals and solutions, as we do in contributing to the implementation of the Campania Regional Law, protecting health, political and entrepreneurial aspects”.
«Spotting the problem is always the most important thing, without judging or criticizing, but with suggestions.
There are some sectors, such as horse racing, that have been waiting for structural reform for 30 years. This is a situation that puts thousands of businesses and jobs at risk, encouraging illegality when there are no rules or protections for the players.”
Regarding the reorganization of physical games, both in institutions and in dedicated spaces, the president emphasized several fundamental pillars: «Definite and simple rules are needed, not subject to interpretation and essential staff training, because only in this way can the sector make a leap in quality».
There are also interventions on this issue Giuseppe Bruscolottivice president of AGSI and former historic captain of Napoli before handing over the captain’s armband to Diego Armando Maradona: «We need a deep rethink starting from the basics. We need to reform and intervene without fear of overhauling the entire system. The fulcrum of everything is legality and how it is expressed in daily activities. It cannot be denied that theater managers can guarantee service, especially in terms of player protection. However, online offers greater opportunities for illegal markets and risky behavior. It is likely that users can continue betting throughout the day and this possibility in itself encourages gambling addiction. Just as institutions have limits on working hours, remote sectors must also have these limits. It is by no means my intention to denigrate remote gaming, but there is a serious conceptual error when limitations are associated with physical gaming that are not reflected in online gaming.”
Finally, Bruscolotti shared reflections on the excessive fragmentation of regulations regarding this issue public play: «Each region has specific regulations regarding gaming and inevitably the system becomes increasingly confusing, as customers are often unaware of the applicable laws. Rather than intervening with laws that result from prejudice, the region should be improved by investigating and informing it, so as to better understand its needs.”
