The association: “This way tobacconists and authorized retailers are seriously penalised, and illegal gaming sites are given a boost. Paradoxical ban, the budget law gives the same subjects the possibility of becoming ATMs"
“We learn, from recent press reports, of the postponement of the examination of the text of the legislative decree on the reorganization of online gaming, provided for by the Delegation Law for Tax Reform. A postponement that we consider useful, taking into account the need to modify the text of the decree itself in the part in which, completely unexpectedly, it is envisaged that the process of topping up gaming accounts at physical points of sale (including shopkeepers, tobacconists and authorized merchants) must take place 'exclusively with electronic payment instruments'. A regulatory provision that would end up excluding merchants from a virtuous process of integration between online operators and the retail network already underway in the gaming sector and in no way justifiable with greater traceability of payments". As Confesercenti in a note.
“The gaming account top-up process currently in force for physical points of sale, in fact, is already entirely traced: the owner of the gaming account, before proceeding with the top-up with cash payment, identifies himself with an identity document; then, the merchant matches the value of the top-up to the gaming account and gives the gaming account holder a PIN code to unlock the top-up and access, activating the credit, with his own credentials. By eliminating cash top-ups - continues the association - the role of tobacconists and merchants from digital gaming would be completely excluded, closing the doors to the omnichannel process that has been underway for years with the aim of distributing the value generated by the business online between dealers and physical sales points. The use of cash would therefore likely be diverted towards "non-nominal" gaming and therefore less traceable, except on illegal sites through intermediaries (see recent cases of famous footballers who entrusted their cash to intermediaries)".
“We are faced with an impediment measure, which aims to hinder cash transactions, unfairly seen as an indication if not a symptom of fiscal infidelity, but it is an intervention with almost paradoxical contours - he has declared Mauro Bussoni (in the photo), Confesercenti General Secretary -. On the one hand, in fact, with 'the top-up point of sale' we want to offer the player an alternative to account top-ups in online mode, which by their nature only take place with electronic money. On the other hand, however, this payment alternative, which is also fully tracked, is nullified by the unjustified inhibition of the use of cash at points of sale. An even more incomprehensible inhibition if we consider that the Budget Law gives these same points of sale the possibility of becoming real 'ATMs', allowing customers to withdraw cash with the POS. We therefore hope that this provision will be canceled as the decree in question continues."
