Covid-19: new lockdown of gaming in Italy, all activities (or almost) stopped

The Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte, who spoke today in the Chamber of Deputies, announced new restrictive measures that affect games too. After the previous closure of bingo halls, slot/vlt halls, amusement halls, casinos and theme parks decided with the previous decree of October, the 25rd, today a new and further tightening on gaming arrives throughout the national territory. With different provisions for each region, according to the risk coefficient.

"In line with the provisions for the closure of gaming, bingo and betting rooms, corners used for betting and video games will be closed, everywhere". Going therefore to "turn off" every form of "land-based" gaming, after the only remaining possibilities in the last few days were slots and bets made in bars, which however closed at 6pm. Now, however, bets are forbidden even if bars remain open with the same times. And the only form of gaming remains that of lotteries, lotto and scratch and wins, which can still be played in tobacconists. A further tightening on the sector comes with the next Dpcm, containing "measures aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19" and, as for the closure of shopping centers on holidays and days before holidays, the provision applies to the whole national territory. DIFFERENT MEASURES BETWEEN REGIONS - "The next Dpcm - the premier explained to the deputies present in the hall on Monday, November, the 2nd, - will identify three areas corresponding to as many risk scenarios: the inclusion of a region within an area will take place with a decree of the Minister of Health and will only depend on the risk coefficient, as certified by the istituto superiore di sanità. It will then be possible to enter and exit from one category to another, always with a decree of the ministry". As anticipated in recent days, therefore, the so-called "scenario 4" is now a reality and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is particularly violent, as shown by the data provided by the Italian premier, both on the health system and on the production system of the country, even with a number of contagions that in Italy is lower than those of Spain, France and the United Kingdom.