Italian gambling workers to demonstrate

Employees of licensed gaming companies in Milan and Rome will gather on February 18 for demonstrations in the streets of the two cities.

In face of the lockdown, workers will march through the Piazza del Duomo in Milan and the Piazza del Popolo in Rome to draw attention to the plight of the locked down industry that threatens the livelihood of 150,000 people.

They will be demanding the immediate reopening of venues, employing the government’s “yellow zone” anti-Covid protocols that have been in place for the past six months. They will also be calling for immediate talks between government, regions and trade associations to find a fair solution to the problems affecting the sector.

Those problems, report Italian industry news agency Gioco News, include issues over territories for gambling and access to credit by players. The industry has now been closed down for seven months with the loss of €4.5bn in revenue.

The workers represent 170 companies in the industry, including bingo halls, betting venues, video lottery arcades and equipment managers. The main trade associations are all backing the demonstrations and it is expected that they will be joined by politicians and representatives of the civil service.