Game rooms: gradual return to normal. Here are the first reopenings

in collaboration with 123scommesse.it Little big glimmers of recovery. The Minister of Health Roberto Speranza has made it known, in recent days, how different Italian regions will be able to pass into the white zone. This means that in these territories all the restrictions that currently apply in the rest of the country will be eliminated and many activities that had had to stop will be able to return to work. Among these we find the legal gaming sector. For the first time since summer 2020, many gambling halls, including betting halls, bingo halls and so on, will once again be able to reopen their doors and work safely. Theoretically, with the transition to the white zone, there are thousands of exercises of this type that will be able to open again. Thousands of reopenings For example, in Friuli Venezia Giulia there will be over 1343 AWP shops, and about a hundred betting rooms, bingo halls and so on to reopen. In Sardinia, on the other hand, there are more than 2600 AWP shops, and 200 between betting and bingo halls. And again, in Molise, Puglia and Basilicata there are at least 1100 betting rooms and 400 between bingo and slot rooms, with 5000 AWP shops. These numbers are added to those of other Regions that are or will soon find themselves in the white zone: Abruzzo, Liguria, Umbria, Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino, Lazio, Emilia Romagna. In total, approximating the number, we are talking about over 50,000 AWP stores and thousands of betting shops and gambling halls in general. This can make it clear the extent of the damage that many Italian entrepreneurs were experiencing due to the closures. The online boom And the closures, as we will see in detail, have also encouraged illegal gambling, have also led to a real boom in the online sector. This, as it is easy to guess, because not being able to go to physical gambling halls to play, people have had to resort to the best betting sites, continuing their business from a PC or smartphone. impressive: compared to the previous year, there was an increase in users of over 40%, with a turnover of millions and millions of euros. A figure that will then be verified and further refined considering this 2021. As mentioned, the closures have also brought other very significant effects. For example, the state coffers saw a shortfall of at least 5 billion euros. Not everyone perhaps knows, in fact, that legal gaming in Italy represents over 1% of the national GDP. And, likewise, there has also been an exponential increase in illegal gambling. In 2020 alone, around 1200 people were arrested for activities related to illegal gambling: an impressive number, over 250% more than in 2019. And this is also frightening in anticipation of the start of the European Championships: in the Regions where reopening will not yet be been carried out, there is a serious risk of seeing an increase in illegal gaming, with the consequent enrichment of organized crime.