(Jamma) As is known, the Lombardy Region is working on a bill aimed at the prevention and treatment of pathological gambling. As part of the process, the consultation of the most representative trade associations was foreseen, obviously including SAPAR.
President Curcio, in thanking the IV Productive Activities and Employment Commission of the Lombardy Region - which is directly dealing with the project - for the opportunity granted, on 24 September last sent the Association's observations to the Body, which, while not affecting the basic choice to promote programmatic lines of intervention aimed at the prevention of degenerative phenomena linked to the gaming experience, bringing to the attention important critical findings, among which the following are highlighted:
– limiting the intervention to the sole offer of gaming via machines risks turning out to be an intervention, as well as discriminatory, unfair and ineffective with respect to the aims pursued, transforming it exclusively into an instrument for modifying the market in favor of some of its protagonists, with clear effect negative on the employment levels guaranteed by the sector.
– The provision of rewarding instruments for those who renounce the offer of gaming through machines is in contradiction with the aims of prevention and planning pursued by the proposed legislation.
– Furthermore, the contents of the rule which provides for the issuing of a regulation for the regulation of access, in commercial establishments, to the areas dedicated to the installation of legal gaming machines appear unclear.
– The introduction of a clearance from the municipality in addition to the licenses issued by the questore (pursuant to art.88 Tulps), as well as being in contrast with the national regulations in force, would make the choice of land management completely arbitrary, even if in contrast with the national rules, where there are no contextually envisaged measures of balance and protection for companies.
– The provision of a limit of 500 meters with respect to sensitive places is also in open conflict with the national legislation, which delegates to the ministry the establishment of compliance measures following monitoring of the national territory and of the game gathering places which is currently in progress.
In the light of the foregoing, the Sapar National Association hopes that the Lombardy Region will rethink the rigid positions taken with regard to legal gaming machines, trusting in the dialogue it itself wanted with the categories to arrive at a formally correct and socio-economically sustainable.
