(Jamma) The approval of the new regional law of Lombardy on the subject of gambling, but obviously referring to the regulation of gaming machines, arouses particular concern among operators in the sector also due to the initial interpretations of the rules which anticipate its entry into force.
In fact, the regional law enters into force on the 15th day of its publication in the BURL and therefore on November 9th.
According to what has been reported to some operators who have turned to the Legislative Office of the Region for clarification on the matter from a first reading of the provisions contained in article 5, paragraph 1, it is believed "that the prohibition of new placement of appliances for lawful gambling refers to new machines and does not concern machines already installed”.
The prohibition, however, should come into effect at the exact moment "when the appliance installed before the entry into force of the law is replaced with another one".
This means that all gaming machines installed in public establishments at a distance of less than 500 meters from sensitive places can no longer be replaced (not even in the event of irreparable failure).
