Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency, ADM, has set new rules requiring licensed remote-gaming operators to make deposits and withdrawals traceable, keep player money in dedicated company accounts and verify that withdrawal instruments belong to the player.
The determination, published Oct. 22, also bars withdrawals through Punti Vendita Ricariche, or PVR top-up points, and other gaming outlets in an operator’s physical network. Electronic wallets remain permissible only when run by authorized, supervised intermediaries and disclosed to ADM beforehand.
PressGiochi reported that the measures cover concessionaire duties, ordinary and alternative payment tools, top-up records, withdrawals and e-wallets. Their stated purpose is to ensure that financial movements can be assigned to the relevant parties, correctly recorded and meet anti-money-laundering requirements.
Operators must hold player balances in dedicated bank or postal accounts in the company’s name, then notify ADM of those accounts and the tools used to transfer funds and pay winnings. Permitted conventional funding methods include bank transfers, direct debits, payment cards and prepaid cards, provided they meet the applicable authorization, banking and anti-money-laundering standards.
Such instruments must identify both the initiator and recipient of a payment and preserve its date, amount and purpose. Alternative payment devices face tighter conditions: they must be bought by an identified person who matches the gaming-account holder, can fund only that holder’s account and cannot support transfers to third parties or alteration of transactions.
Issuers of those alternative tools must certify compliance through a report from a qualified third party with banking or anti-money-laundering expertise. Dealers must check the requirements before submitting the certified report to ADM. ADM may suspend a non-compliant instrument and impose contractual penalties alongside any applicable anti-money-laundering sanctions; it also sends the documentation to the Guardia di Finanza and Bank of Italy for review.
Every PVR top-up, including a cash top-up, must enter the concessionaire’s accounts. Operators must maintain separate records for standard instruments, alternative devices and cash, enabling oversight of the €100 weekly limit for PVR reloads that took effect in May after a trial beginning in March.
Before making a withdrawal, operators must verify ownership of the nominated account or instrument through a payment provider or supporting documents. If the information cannot be verified, the payment must wait until the player supplies an eligible alternative.
Existing alternative payment instruments that comply with the new requirements can remain in use until March 31, 2027, if the operator submits the required certified report by then.
