Decrees on VLT and Cash Games under the review of the EC Commission

The Italian gaming authority has sent to the EC Commission the draft decrees regulating (i) videolotteries and (ii) cash games and fixed odd games of chance. The EC Commission will have now a 90 days period to raise any relevant comment or request of amendments. Prior to expire of such term the decrees cannot be issued and therefore licensees will not be entitled to lauch such games.

The most relevant contents of the draft decrees are the following:

VIDEOLOTTERIES

• the maximum cost of a single game shall be € 10 with a minimum stake of € 0.50, while the the maximum allowed wins for each single game will be € 5,000 with the exclusion of the jackpot whose value shall not be higher than € 100,000 if it is determined in connection with a single gaming hall and shall not be higher than € 500,000 if it is determined in connection with a gaming system linking more gaming halls;
• the percentage of the amount collected from players which is allocated to the prizes cannot be lower than 85%;
• the videolotteries can be installed only in areas dedicated to the gaming activity (e.g. bingo halls, betting shops, gaming halls etc. with the consequent exclusion of bars and hotels) and a maximum number of videolotteries can be installed in gaming halls depending on their surface.

CASH GAMES AND FIXED ODD GAMES OF CHANCE

• the maximum amount of money that a player can initially withdraw from its gaming account to have it available during the gaming session to place stakes will be € 1,000;
• the maximum values of buy-in in case of skill games organised as tournaments has been increased from € 100 to € 250;
• the applicable taxes are equal to 20% of the amount collected from players which is not returned to them;
• the provision of the cash games and fixed odd games of chance will be open to all the entities holding an Italian license covering also skill games following the issue by the Italian gaming authority of an express authorisation subject to the compliance of the gaming platform of the licensee with specific technical requirements.