During the ENADA/SAPAR 2025 Workshop held in Rome last November 26th, Attorney Stefano Sbordoni, Secretary General of UTIS, responded to a question about the reorganization of the gaming sector by stating that “today the government is dealing with it because those who should have done it before did it poorly.” The well-known Roman lawyer, invoking the principle of subsidiarity in managing the sector, stated that “…it is the body closest to the citizen that must address their needs. When the closest body doesn’t do it properly, it is the higher-level body that must take responsibility and correct the mistakes. We talked about distances and out-of-this-world regulations. The reorganization represents precisely this attempt to fix what hasn’t been managed well at the local level.” The lawyer then clarified the role of politicians and trade associations, arguing that “Politicians must obtain information from those familiar with the relevant subjects or issues and, based on this, take action. They cannot become sector experts, much less replace those with technical expertise. Trade associations represent the interests of their members and must be listened to, because their information forms the basis of political decisions.” Finally, Sbordoni emphasized the importance of proper collaboration between institutions and operators:
“The government today is trying to remediate what was poorly managed by local authorities, respecting the principle of subsidiarity and relying on information provided by those who actually operate in the gaming sector. Only in this way can effective and sustainable decisions be made.”