Trento, September 2025 — In Trentino-Alto Adige, even la dolce vita has its limits. The Provincial Council of Trento is set to debate Mozione no. 257/XVII, tabled by councilor Eleonora Angeli, focused on prevention and counteraction against gambling addiction. The session will run from September 9 to 11.
The motion comes amid a nationwide spike: Italy’s gambling turnover grew 10.2% in 2023, surpassing €150 billion, with online play skyrocketing 67% from 2020 to 2023 to hit €82 billion. Trentino itself reported €851 million wagered in 2024, averaging €2,000 per resident, up from €1,800 a year earlier. The demographic most exposed: men aged 30–50 and women over 60, with rising concerns over under-age online betting.
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Yet despite these numeri impressionanti, only 56 people sought treatment for gambling disorder as of May 2025—highlighting a gap in services.
What the mozione proposes
- Create specialized clinics distinct from SerD, integrated with services like alcologia and antifumo.
- Boost partnerships with the third sector to aid prevention, legal support, and reintegration.
- Extend peer-education programs and digital literacy in secondary schools.
- Establish a provincial observatory, together with ISPAT and the University of Trento, for real-time monitoring.
- Require self-exclusion tools on gaming machines, letting users set personal limits.
For Trento, this is not just bureaucracy—it’s a segnale forte: gambling is a public health issue, and the region intends to confront it with data, prevention, and umanità.
