Italy’s gambling market gets new rules: Strict age control
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20 Oct 2024 •
Reading time: 2 minutes In Italy, it will become a lot more difficult for minors to access adult content. Such as gambling and pornography or other types of content. The Italian media regulator AGCOM has announced that all media platforms will now have to verify the age of their users.
Before they can view this sensitive content. These new rules should better protect children and young people from things that are not intended for them.
Protecting young people becomes a priority
The reason for this step is clear: protecting minors. The Italian government wants to prevent young people from being exposed to content that could harm their development. Whether it concerns gambling, adult entertainment or inappropriate social media.
The new rules of AGCOM are aimed at better protecting children and young people. The Italian government takes this seriously and has even included it in their Caivano decree. This is a package of measures to improve online safety.
How does this age verification work?
Media platforms in Italy will use a system that is already used for other things. SPID, the Public Digital Identity System of Italy. This system asks users to verify their age before they can access gambling sites or adult content. No SPID? No access. It’s that simple. This applies not only to gambling websites but also to social media that are not always suitable for young people.
What is nice is that AGCOM ensures that your data remains safe. The new system works with double anonymity. This means that companies cannot store or track age data, so that your privacy is always guaranteed.
What does the European Commission think of this?
Of course, everything has to be done according to the rules. That is why the European Commission is now looking at these new measures. They want to make sure that everything complies with the strict European rules for data protection.
Once the Commission agrees, AGCOM will start testing the system in collaboration with companies and consumer organizations. This way they can be sure that the age check works well before it is fully implemented.
Impact on the gambling world
The new rules do not only affect social media and adult entertainment. But also the online gambling industry. Gambling websites must implement the same age verification so that minors can no longer participate without checking. This is part of a broader plan to restructure the Italian gambling industry.
The focus here is on compliance. Protecting young people from the dangers of gambling. Italy is taking an important step in making the internet safer for young people.