Luiss-Ipsos, between legality and illegality presented first report on the gaming sector

The First Research Report on the Gaming sector in Italy was presented today at Villa Blanc, born from the collaboration between the Luiss Business School and Ipsos and produced with the support of the Customs and Monopoly Agency. Objective of the study: to analyze the phenomenon of gambling paying attention to the Italian case, with the aim of understanding the dynamics of the sector, the behavior of players and the risks associated with the development of illegal channels. The game constitutes, not only in Italy, a real industry: the number of people, including players and workers, who are involved in it is high, as well as the attention of public authorities and the significant economic value (understood as the ability to generate income, employment and public finance resources) that the sector has hired. In the first part of the works, Prof. Alberto Petrucci, Full Professor of Political Economy, Luiss Guido Carli, and Dr. Ilaria Ugenti, Corporate Reputation Leader, Ipsos, spoke of this, introduced by Prof. Matteo Giuliano Caroli, Head Applied Research, Luiss Business School. The meeting also saw the participation of Prof. Marcello Minenna, Director General of the Customs and Monopoly Agency, and Prof. Livia Pomodoro, President of the Advisory Board of the Project, the steering committee that has the task of interacting with the team. to discuss and interpret the objectives and implications of the research findings. The first session of the work ended with the intervention of the Hon. Claudio Durigon, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Among the main findings of the report, the importance of data relating to the impact of the pandemic should be noted. If overall, in 2018 the sector of “Activities relating to lotteries, betting, gambling houses” counted 9,265 companies, 42,818 employees, with a total turnover of over 15 billion euros and an added value of over 3 billion euros , in 2020, despite the growth of online gaming, overall spending suffered a 33.5% reduction. In addition, in the physical gaming sector, the most affected by the consequences of Covid-19, spending fell by 41.7%, with evident transfer to illegal channels. Consequently, in 2020 the tax revenue from gaming recorded the lowest incidence on tax revenues since 2006. The appointment continued with a round table, moderated by the Rai journalist Serena Bortone, in which the following took part: Prof. Raffaele Oriani , Scientific Coordinator for Research Project on the Gaming Sector and Associate Dean, Luiss Business School, Nando Pagnoncelli, President of Ipsos Italia, Dr. Federico Cafiero De Raho, National Anti-Mafia Attorney, Prof. Emanuela Randon, Professor of the Department of Economic Sciences of the University of Bologna, who illustrated the research and the data that emerged. As pointed out by the curator of the study, Raffaele Oriani, Associate Dean, Luiss Business School, “our research presents an analytical and systematic picture of the sector. The evidence and the results of this work could constitute a valid scientific basis in view of any future discussions on the regulation of the supply chain and its balanced and sustainable development “. In fact, the study shows that 67.7% of the Italian adult population, that is 31,350,000 individuals played some kind of game in 2020. However, an estimated 4.4 million players in illegal channels representing a complex universe, within which individuals with different aptitudes and inclinations fall, fall. but with more defined socio-demographic characteristics. They are, in fact, mainly men (71%) on average younger than the total number of players and reside more in the South and Islands. The player who plays in illegal circuits is not a subject on the margins of society, but is a person integrated into the social fabric who has an occupation (72%) and an above average level (14%). The judgment on illegal gambling denotes a certain indulgence on the part of many players: only 2 out of 3 Italians believe that there may be problems with the law, a percentage that drops to 1 in 2 among the players of illegal channels. But tolerance of illegal behavior appears to be at odds with the general perception of illegal gambling, which is considered a serious problem by 86% of Italians and even 69% of players on illegal channels. Finally, the presentation was an opportunity to announce the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Luiss and the Customs and Monopoly Agency to strengthen mutual collaboration in the context of study and research projects on the gaming sector, in continuity with the work of the Observatory on Regulated Markets, useful for guaranteeing the protection of customers and operators, stemming the spread of unauthorized channels and protecting an economic market that has become essential. “The study highlights several dynamics that deserve the attention of those who are called to reflect on the future of legal gaming – said the President of Ipsos, Nando Pagnoncelli – We have detected more than 4 million players in illegal channels which, unlike what it is often thought that they are not marginal individuals, but fully integrated into civil and social life. Another phenomenon that deserves attention is the unconscious legal game, carried out by those who do not understand the boundary between legality and illegality, a phenomenon that we observe both online and offline. A more effective communication strategy seems to be necessary to get this quota of players out of illegality ».