"Research of this kind is very important because it provides us with an understanding of the phenomenon. We already knew that pathological gambling co-occurs with comorbidity, and this was also evident from the extensive data we've already analyzed. It's clear that we need to find a way to intervene in both areas, online and land-based gaming," said Mario Lollobrigida, director of gaming at the Agenzia dogane e monopoli, at the event "Giocare da grandis: findings from the public gaming observatory," where Brightstar, SWG, and Formiche presented the latest installment of their analysis of the sector, addressing issues related to pathological gambling.

Lollobrigida's analysis was two-pronged: "Regarding online gaming, Legislative Decree 41 has already allowed for significant intervention because, in the new tender we launched for new online gaming licenses, we included important protective measures to protect players in the technical bids submitted by the operators who will acquire the new licenses. and prevention regarding the phenomenon of pathological gambling. It's simpler because each concessionaire has continuous monitoring of the gambling activities of various individuals and players, and can therefore organize prevention measures, but also actions to combat much more serious compulsive behaviors. Artificial intelligence systems can also be used to understand, by observing the timing and playing patterns, messages can be sent specifically to the player's gambling habits, even suspending the possibility of gambling. Some concessionaires already do this." 

Regarding physical gambling, things are a bit more complicated: "It's clear that the tools we have are much less effective and, as highlighted in the SWG research, they are the possible solutions provided by psychologists. This is why we're talking primarily about prevention. This is achieved through serious training for operators. Some entities, concessionaires, and trade associations are already starting down this path, and the decree reorganizing physical gambling, which, as far as we're concerned, is a finished project but still needs to go through some steps, with local authorities, regions, and commissions, is crucial in this regard. Unfortunately, it's unclear when work on this segment of public gaming will be completed, as they are discussing the possibility of extending the tax delegation deadlines, resulting in a further postponement of the work. However, for us, training for public gaming concessionaires is absolutely crucial and central," he concluded.