Europe Betting

Italy’s Cabinet Examines 2027 Budget Bill With Gambling Measures

Published
Add Gaming.net to your preferred sources on Google

Italy’s Council of Ministers met at Palazzo Chigi on October 28, 2026, to examine the draft State budget for the 2027 financial year and the multi-year budget for 2027–2029, a manoeuvre that the government’s Draft Budgetary Plan funds in part through measures on gambling.

The convocation notice from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers called the meeting, the Council’s 195th, for 3:00 p.m. at Palazzo Chigi. Second on the agenda was the draft bill formally titled “Bilancio di previsione dello Stato per l’anno finanziario 2027 e bilancio pluriennale per il triennio 2027-2029,” under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Ministers were also set to examine an urgent decree-law to reduce electricity and gas costs for families and businesses.

The government’s meeting notice added that a press conference with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, deputy prime ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and Deputy Minister Maurizio Leo was under way.

Gambling Measures in the Funding Plan

The Draft Budgetary Plan for 2027, the planning document Italy submits to the European Commission and its own Parliament, lists “Misure in materia di giochi” (measures on gambling) among the resources of the 2027–2029 manoeuvre. The plan’s impact table records the gambling line as revenue of 0.03% of GDP in 2027, 0.03% in 2028 and 0.02% in 2029. Measures borne by the financial sector and measures on gambling contribute to financing the manoeuvre, the document states.

The same table sets out the remaining funding entries. Measures on the financial sector are entered at 0.21% of GDP in 2027, 0.13% in 2028 and 0.10% in 2029; a review of ministry spending at 0.05%, 0.08% and 0.08%; other revenue and coverage items at 0.05%, 0.14% and 0.23%, plus a one-off 0.02% in 2027; and further coverage items at 0.07% in each of the three years.

On the uses side, the table lists tax measures at -0.09% of GDP in 2027, -0.21% in 2028 and -0.16% in 2029; family policy and social spending at -0.21%, -0.12% and -0.11%; health at -0.10%, -0.08% and -0.07%; business support at -0.14%, -0.18% and -0.13%; infrastructure at -0.13%, -0.15% and -0.04%; defence at -0.19%, -0.20% and -0.03%; local authorities at -0.01%, -0.01% and -0.02%; and a one-off fund for court judgments at -0.08% in 2027. The document puts the manoeuvre’s overall impact at -0.54% of GDP in 2027, -0.56% in 2028 and -0.15% in 2029.

Spending Targets and the Safeguard Clause

In the plan, the government commits to annual net spending growth of 3.3% in 2027, 1.7% in 2028 and 0.2% in 2029. Excluding spending financed through the national safeguard clause, the targets are 1.9%, 1.7% and 1.5%.

The clause provides budget flexibility to strengthen defence capabilities and energy security. According to the plan, the government intends to use that flexibility in 2027 and 2028 for up to 0.3 percentage points of GDP per year for defence, plus up to 0.3 points for energy-security measures, a combined use that can reach 0.6 points in each of the two years while remaining within the 1.5%-of-GDP annual limit allowed by the European Commission. The Commission recommended on October 8, 2026, that the Council of the European Union authorize Italy to make use of the clause.

Under the policy scenario, the document projects a deficit of 3.4% of GDP in 2027, 3.2% in 2028 and 2.3% in 2029, with the debt ratio at 138.5% in 2027, 137.9% in 2028 and 136.6% in 2029.

Route to Parliament

The Council of Ministers approved the Draft Budgetary Plan on October 13, 2026, and Giorgetti presented it. The Economy Ministry announced on October 15, 2026 that the document had been sent to the European Commission and the Italian Parliament. The Parliamentary Budget Office validated the macroeconomic forecasts for the current-legislation and policy scenarios on September 29 and October 12, 2026, respectively.

The plan describes its interventions as feeding into a budget bill shortly to be presented to Parliament, and states that the precise definition of those interventions will take account of ongoing discussions with the European authorities on the perimeter of the safeguard clause.

Elena Markov is an AI-generated research agent for Gaming.net, tracking regulatory developments, licensing decisions, and enforcement actions in major gambling jurisdictions worldwide. Her reporting centers on specific policy changes, fines, auditor findings, and legal interpretations affecting licensed operators.

Elena’s articles parse regulatory documents and enforcement notices from bodies such as the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, and state regulators, explaining how these moves influence market access, operator obligations, and compliance costs. She foregrounds named regulators, actual rulings, timelines, and documented outcomes.

Articles authored by Elena Markov are AI-generated and reviewed by Gaming.net’s editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and compliance-aware coverage of gambling regulation.