On a historic day for the Esports landscape in Italy, the Chamber of Deputies hosted the first hearings for the regulation of this rapidly growing sector yesterday, 19 March 2024, marking a crucial moment in its regulation.
The initiative, the result of the joint commitment of theItalian Esports Observatory (OIES) and Movement 5 Stars, saw the participation of key figures in the sector, including the founder of the OIES, Louis Caputo and a delegation of Observatory partners: Juliet Minucci, lawyer of the Lexia firm, Biagio Giancola, lawyer of the Martinelli, Rogolino, Giancola firm, Alessio Cicolari, entrepreneur in the sector, Luck Emperor, video game developer and Daniela Vrabie, pro player of the LXT team.
This step forward follows the awareness-raising activity launched with White Paper on Esports and Gaming, presented by the Observatory and the M5S to the Chamber of Deputies last October, and culminating in the resolution put forward by the deputies Antonio Caso and Valentina Barzotti, which takes up the proposals contained in the White Paper.
The resolution highlighted the need for clear and functional legislation for the sector, which is designed to enable the potential of a growing market throughout the world, but which remains blocked in Italy due to structural problems caused by its regulation.
During the hearings, Caputo underlined the urgency of defining a basic regulatory framework, which offers those fundamental definitions to allow investments in the sector. Contrary to the search for excessively stringent regulation, Caputo proposed the adoption of regulatory instruments that define the key figures in the functioning of the sector and its specific activities, to overcome the current barriers that make it a field of application of often confusing and inconsistent rules.
In particular, there are three fundamental pillars that according to Caputo must represent the cornerstone of the Esports discipline: the need to define the competitions outside of gambling legislation, the creation of one contractual scheme clear for pro-players and industry professionals, and the resolution of the issue of gaming rooms, allowing them to be opened without assimilating them to the rules of traditional arcades.
Echoing the legislation already effective in countries such as Republic of San Marino and France, Caputo highlighted how these basic rules, given a broader structure, can provide the peace of mind and regulatory certainty necessary for operators in the sector.
The hearings represented a fundamental step towards opening a historic discussion on Esports in Italy, with the aim of aligning the country with European and international regulatory standards. The Esports sector, characterized by unprecedented global expansion, requires careful and targeted regulatory intervention, capable of supporting its growth and guaranteeing a safe and regulated environment for all the actors involved, including in Italy.
"The hearings in the Chamber of Deputies on Esports represented an unthinkable result until last year – comments Luigi Caputo, founder of OIES -. In a short time, the Italian Esports Observatory, thanks also to the decisive support of the 5 Star Movement, managed to bring the demands of the sector's operators into the parliamentary halls, an event that had never happened before in our country. The road is still long, however the approach we have proposed, based on the union and collaboration of the entire supply chain, already constitutes a great achievement, which shows the maturity and potential of the sector".
