In yesterday's session in the Finance Commission of the Chamber, the examination of the "Schematic ministerial decree for the identification
of the events to be combined with the national lotteries to be carried out in 2024". Below is the full report of the session:
"Marco Osnato (FdI), president, invites the rapporteur Cavandoli to illustrate the contents of the provision. Laura Cavandoli (LEGA), rapporteur, recalls that the scheme refers to the lotteries to be carried out in the year 2024. She recalls that the general legislative framework regarding lotteries is largely contained in the law of 4 August 1955, n. 722, as amended by law 26 March 1990, n. 62, which in article 1 authorizes, starting from 1990, the holding of a number of national lotteries up to a maximum of twelve each year, as well as one international lottery. The events to be linked to the authorized lotteries are identified by decree of the Minister of Economy and Finance, to be issued by 15 December of each year, with effect for the following year. The competent parliamentary commissions are heard on the draft decree and must express their opinion within thirty days of the request. Paragraph 3 of article 1 of law no. 722 of 1955 establishes that for the purposes of identifying national lotteries it is necessary to take into account: national or international relevance; the connection with historical-artistic-cultural facts and re-enactments and sporting events; of the validity, purpose and continuity over time of the associated event; of a balanced geographical distribution; of the guarantee, through the annual rotation, of lotteries for each group of cultural, historical, sporting and folkloristic events of national importance. The profits from each lottery are paid into the state budget revenue account, while for lotteries combined with events organized by the municipalities, a third of the profits are donated to the municipalities themselves, but with a specific destination constraint: the municipalities must in fact use these revenues for the pursuit of educational, cultural purposes, conservation and recovery of the artistic, cultural and environmental heritage, strengthening of tourist and sporting facilities and valorisation of the connected event. The management and operation of national lotteries with deferred draws are reserved to the Ministry of Economy and Finance - Autonomous Administration of State Monopolies, now the Customs and Monopolies Agency, which takes care of it directly or through a fully public company (article 21, paragraph 6, of legislative decree no. 78 of 2009). As also reported in the explanatory report that accompanies the text, starting from the 2010 Italian Lottery, the management of lotteries is not carried out according to mechanisms based on the concession regime, but directly by the Customs and Monopolies Agency making use of the provision of some services by of Lotterie Nazionali srl (company made up of Lottomatica Holding Srl, Scientific Games International Inc., Arianna 2001 SpA, Servizi in Rete Srl,), as the only entity, among those invited through restricted selective procedures among the major operators in the sector, which has expressed its interest in this regard. For the 2022 Italian Lottery (the only lottery scheduled for last year, the draw took place on 6 January 2023), all management and operational activities were also entrusted to the aforementioned individual. In particular, the assignment involved the production of tickets, for this edition in both paper and digital versions, their distribution at outlets not included in its exclusive network, as well as all activities related to distribution in the sales points of the concessionaire itself, assistance with the daily and final prize extraction procedures as well as the payment of prizes and the implementation of promotional activities in favor of the lottery. The draft ministerial decree, which consists of a single article, identifies the Italian Lottery with possible combination with television broadcasts as the only national lottery with deferred draw for the year 2024. The Ministry of Economy and Finance, therefore, deemed it appropriate to confirm the announcement of a single national lottery with deferred draw also for the year 2024. In referring to the documentation dossier for the detailed analysis of the trend in ticket sales in the period 2016-2023, and the trend in costs, he points out that for the first time since 2016 - with the exception of the conditional two-year period 2020-2021 since the COVID-19 epidemic – a trend reversal has occurred with reference to the number of tickets sold, which increased (from 6.013.665 in 2022 to 6.703.526 in 2023). This also involves an increase in gross receipts (33.517.630,00 euros compared to 30.068.325 euros in 2022) which grow to a greater extent than the management costs which are also increasing (from 5.611.325 in 2022 to 6.370.630 of 2023). The final economic result of the 2023 edition given by the tax profit (€13.573.500,00 euros), plus the reimbursement of general management expenses (€670.352,60 euros), from which the premium mass integration must be subtracted burden on the State budget (3.846.500,00 euros), is 10.397.352,60 euros (8.847.366,50 euros in 2022).
Given the content of the provision in question, which in his opinion could be dismissed by the Commission already in today's session, he formulates a proposal for a favorable opinion. Nobody asking to intervene, the Commission approves the proposal for a favorable opinion formulated by the rapporteur".
Below is the proposal for a favorable opinion approved by the Commission:
