The two reasons
behind the Italian government’s push to license online poker
cash games, casino games, betting exchanges and betting on
virtual events in the next few months are: the failure to block
unlicensed gaming sites and the reconstruction of the Abruzzo
region devastated by a major earthquake in April this year.
Since it started licensing online poker tournament games and
fixed odds sports betting nearly two years ago, Italy has
created a list of sites blocked by the major internet service
providers. However, Francesco Rodano, head of remote gaming at
the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli dei Stato (AAMS),
pointed out that a quick search for information was all it took
for players to get around the block. The tax levels for the new
games would be set at 20% of gross profits tax, which compares
with the current 4.5% tax on gross gaming revenues in sports
betting and 3% tax, also on gross gaming revenues, in poker
tournaments and skill games. Rodano said the reason for the
different tax rate was that in tournament poker the payout ratio
was around 90% compared with payout levels of around 97% in cash
games. "In tournament poker we can therefore take 3% of gross
gaming revenues but that would not work in cash games as the
operator takes a rake off every pot. We will therefore take the
tax off operators’ rake, this will allow them to set the rake at
commercially viable levels," Rodano explained.
In parallel with French poker operators lobbying their
government to allow international liquidity to play against
French players, Rodano added that there were "fierce
discussions" going on between poker sites with international
liquidity and recently established Italian sites over whether to
open Italian poker rooms to international liquidity. When asked
about the problem gambling issues related to casino games,
Rodano said: "We know this and that is why we want to regulate
them: set the rules and control the play to avoid compulsive
gaming. The online medium provides a great tool for controlling
and monitoring players’ activity." The draft legislation will be
submitted to the European Commission in the next few months to
be passed by the end of the year.
Source - The Malta Remote Gaming Council after eGaming Review
