FAIR Forum 2026: a debate in Rome on responsible gambling communication

The way gambling is talked about can affect people's ability to understand its risks. But the presence of a protective message says little about its effectiveness. What matters is whether it is read, understood and found credible, and whether it actually helps players make more informed decisions.

This question is the starting point for the FAIR Forum 2026, to be held on 14 October at Palazzo Montemartini in Rome. At the event, Fondazione FAIR will present the findings of the Observatory on Gambling Communication, carried out with Ipsos Doxa, and bring together institutions, researchers and companies.

From rules to effectiveness

In recent years, much attention has focused on the rules that should govern gambling communication. An equally practical question remains open: how can we know whether messages designed to protect players actually work?

A message can be formally correct and still be hard to understand or of little relevance to those who receive it. Different audiences may react differently to the same content. And gambling adds a further factor: the line between communication perceived as a tool for information and protection, and communication that may be read as promotional.

Assessing the quality of communication therefore also means looking at the people who receive it.

What Italians and stakeholders think

The Observatory, presented by Ilaria Ugenti, Reputation Leader at Ipsos Doxa, with a video contribution from Nando Pagnoncelli, Chairman of Ipsos Doxa, is based on 1,000 interviews with people aged 18 to 70 and on discussions with opinion leaders from associations, communications, regulatory authorities, public administration and the non-profit sector.

The research explores trust in prevention measures and perceptions of the tools used to protect players, from spending, time and deposit limits to the monitoring of at-risk behaviour and self-exclusion.

A specific section is devoted to communication: which features make a message useful and credible, which may lead it to be perceived as an incentive to gamble, and which audiences require greater attention.

There is also an issue that concerns the entire protection system: measuring effectiveness. Which indicators show whether an initiative is producing results? Who should assess them? And how can evidence gathered over time be turned into better tools?

Bringing different perspectives to the same table

The Forum also stems from the need to foster dialogue between areas of expertise that address the same problem from different positions.

The event will be opened by Matteo Caroli, President of Fondazione FAIR, Mario Lollobrigida, Central Director for Gaming at the Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM), and Giovanni Emilio Maggi, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Fondazione FAIR.

The institutional panel will bring together Davide Gallino of AGCOM's Media Services Directorate, Antonio Giuliani, Director of the Online Gaming and Betting Office at the Customs and Monopolies Agency, Vincenzo Guggino, Secretary General of the Italian Advertising Self-Regulatory Institute (IAP), and Cinzia Castiglioni, researcher at the Faculty of Psychology of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and coordinator of Fondazione FAIR's Scientific Committee.

The discussion will examine the same communication from the perspectives of regulation, media and advertising, behavioural research and player protection.

Next, the floor will pass to companies, with Fabio Ventoruzzo, Communications Senior Director at Flutter Southern Europe & Africa, Victor Corcoran, Chairman and CEO of My Lotteries - Brightstar, and Valérie Peano of LOGiCO.

Their contribution will move the discussion onto implementation: how to turn principles and guidelines into communication practices that operators can build into their activities and assess over time.

Closing remarks will be given by Stefano De Vita, Director General of Fondazione FAIR. The event will be moderated by Giada Giorgi, journalist, author and television presenter.

The FAIR Forum 2026 will take place on Wednesday 14 October, from 10:00 to 12:00, at Palazzo Montemartini, Largo Giovanni Montemartini, Rome. Registration opens at 9:30, and a buffet will follow the event.