A New Legal Directive Has Potentially Put The Italian FGC At Risk

Over the last several days there has been some uproar in Italy following a new legal directive that temporarily seized all esports halls and LAN rooms. These are places where individuals can spectate, or play competitive video games. They are different from arcades and gambling halls in that you can use regular computers provided by the institution to play and have fun. This includes FGC events as most of these establishments also operate FGs. 

In a video shared on TikTok by EsportsPalace Bergamo, they shared that the new directive will stipulate that gaming equipment including PCs, Monitors, and Consoles will now have to be legally restricted in the same way Slot Machines are. This could be a huge blow for the Italian scene as getting licenses for the equipment could be difficult. It was also revealed that the individual who pointed this out to the Customs and Monopolies Agency is Sergio Milesi, an entrepreneur who is the CEO and Founder of LED S.r.l. According to him, the esports bars put other entertainment businesses at an unfair disadvantage as they aren't restricted in the same way slot machines and other commercial gaming operations are. 

This has led to outrage on social media as people see this as a means of throttling the growth of esports in the country.

While this could really spell danger for esports in Italy, it is important to put it in context. If the proposal stays as is then gaming lounges in Italy will either have to modify their services to comply with those of regular gambling halls, or might find themselves out of business. It should not affect fighting game competitions held online, or smaller competitions held in neutral venues. It could be a problem if a tournament is to hold in one of these gaming lounges using their equipment. 

This is one to keep an eye on, in a response to the uproar, a Twitter user by the name of @gioltireformed gave a broader explanation of the situation. 

We hope there is some sort of amicable solution to the whole thing as we obviously want to see esports grow all around the world.