“The distance meter has demonstrated over time its ineffectiveness in contrasting the spread of gambling disorders. On the other hand, its introduction has sent many municipal administrations into chaos and opened a real witch hunt. The situation still existing in Bologna is emblematic, where a series of appeals from some citizens forced the Municipality to carry out measurements bordering on the absurd.
With the only result of painting legal entrepreneurial activities again, as outlawed.
An unjustified operation, which forced us to respond with an open letter to the editor of the newspaper, published on September 2, a month and a half after the "indicted" article.
We will not stop protecting collective interests such as the image of companies in the sector, convinced of the importance of their work in combating illegal and dangerous activities and protecting all consumers".
Thus EGP FIPE, the association of legal public gaming operators introduces the reply sent to a national newspaper.
Below is the text of the letter
Dear director, We read with interest in recent days the debate that has arisen on the activities of the legal gaming halls in the city of Bologna.
As president of EGP-FIPE, I feel it is my duty to intervene.
In 2022, 54% of the amounts played in Italy were played online, just over 20% in specialized rooms.
It therefore seems appropriate to think about the real effectiveness of the distance meter, which is increasingly recognized as essentially useless and not very suitable for combating pathological gambling both by medical and social research.
For this reason, legislators and public opinion should radically rethink the approach to prevention, seeking more effective solutions.
Our experience shows us that specialized rooms offer truly useful tools to empower consumers, recognize compulsive situations and establish effective channels of contact with treatment services.
They are places where there are specialized personnel, access control is strict, there are large spaces and numerous technological equipment dedicated to control and communication.
Our proposal is to apply, for specialized rooms, the "Self-exclusion register", a measure recognized as effective at an international level which, by regulating the control of access to rooms through its operation, would also guarantee compliance with the ban on underage gaming.
It is good to remember that gambling for money has always been an interest of "true" illegality, that of criminal organizations capable of using new technologies to place games and bets without any control in electronic devices that can be placed, paradoxically, even inside the devices themselves. "sensitive places". The protection that companies entrusted with concessions and public authorizations can ensure is, therefore, itself a guarantee of legality. Signed Emmanuele Cangianelli, EGP FIPE president.
