Edited by Joseph Malvisini

We return to a topic of great concern to gaming operators: the high-risk classification of the sector, according to the Bank of Italy's standards, which has direct consequences for the ordinary operations of points of sale and the concessionaires themselves.
I'll return to the topic from a different perspective: the actions and measures that gaming concessionaires adopt to prevent the risk of money laundering.
I'd start with official data from the Financial Intelligence Unit: in the 2021 report, gaming operators accounted for 13.8% of the total. Obviously, the largest contribution comes from banking operators (credit institutions and post offices) as well as other operators such as Electronic Money Institutions and Payment Institutions.
Gaming operators made 7.659 reports, of which 4.357 in the second half of the year.
We therefore highlight the progressive increase, over the years, in prevention activities, with a progressive strengthening of anti-money laundering functions and a refinement of transaction monitoring systems.
This is a truly important contribution, complementing the other ongoing controls, including reputational controls, risk indicator systems, and analysis of the retail network. We will never tire of stressing that, unlike other sectors, retail outlets are subject to police scrutiny in order to operate, with the issuance or denial of a Public Safety License contingent on a positive outcome.
Despite the efforts and very encouraging numbers, and despite the fact that the contribution is much higher than other sectors (the percentage of contribution to the active participation of the professional sector is 7.6%), the natural circulation of cash, inherent to the intrinsic operation of the game, still makes the sector considered high-risk.
This classification has led some credit institutions, in accordance with their policies and a risk-based approach, to prohibit the establishment of new relationships with gaming operators, or, in other cases, to terminate existing relationships. This has been justified by direct reference to Bank of Italy regulations or for ethical reasons.
Regarding the first point, we have no objections to the free decision of credit institutions regarding how to manage gaming operators. We simply wish to point out that the Financial Intelligence Unit itself has recently changed its approach towards gaming operators, highlighting over the years a reversal of this trend with its significant contribution to the reporting process.
On the second point, we absolutely do not want, nor do we have the capacity, to engage in an ethical debate. Let's simply point out that the sector operates under a proper state license (the Customs and Monopolies Agency, based on a specific tender and very strict reputational and financial participation requirements) and that it contributes to the country's wealth through tax revenues. Furthermore, specific measures are in place to prevent compulsive gambling.
So, we recognize the value of each position, we just wanted to add one more.