Italy’s ADM releases draft updates to gaming communication protocols

Italy’s ADM releases draft updates to gaming communication protocols: what changes, who is affected, and what comes next

On November 7, 2025, Italy's Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) put out draft ("bozza") versions of a number of technical communication protocols that govern how licensed operators communicate data to the central system for a variety of gaming items.

These drafts talk about:

Retail betting in shops
Sports fixed-odds betting
Horse racing betting
Virtual events betting
Online bingo
Skill games and certain card / fixed-odds games

The improvements are meant to make sure that data transmission follows the new concession rules set by Legislative Decree 41/2024, upgrade the technical stack (including better handling of IP and IPv6), and make error codes and message structures the same across the board.

All of the documents are now in draft form, so concessionaires can test them and give technical input before they go live.

Why ADM is revising the protocols now

The Italian government agency in charge of customs, taxes, and state-regulated gaming is ADM. Its main gaming system, which is usually run with the help of the technology partner Sogei, uses standard communication protocols so that operators may report bets, payouts, and player data in a fashion that can be checked.

According to a summary of ADM's announcement in the trade press, the new drafts are clearly tied to:

Legislative Decree 25 March 2024, no. 41, art. 6, changes some technical and administrative requirements for how concessionaires offer and collect games. This is the new concession procedure for remote gaming and betting.
ADM's bigger goal for digitalisation, openness, and stronger control mechanisms in the public gaming sector is in line with EU and national standards on safety, legality, and protecting customers.

This isn't just a cosmetic change; it's part of the technological "plumbing" that needs to be done to make the new license framework and supervisory model work in real life.

What exactly has ADM published? – Protocols and scope

Sector media that have seen the ADM documentation list the following protocols and versions among the revised drafts:

Betting and virtual products

PSR 3.0 – Protocol for bets collected in retail shops (ricevitorie)
PSQF 5.0 – Protocol for sports fixed-odds betting
PSIP 3.0 – Protocol for horse racing betting (scommesse ippiche)
PSV 2.0 – Protocol for bets on virtual / simulated events
PSCP 2.0 – Protocol for fixed-odds bets on “controlled platforms” (platforms overseen in a specific way by ADM)

Bingo and skill / card games

PBAD 4.0.0 – Protocol for online bingo (bingo a distanza)
PGDA 3.0.0 – Protocol for skill games, fixed-odds chance games, and card games organised in forms other than tournaments

These reports say that all of these versions are marked as drafts, sent to authorised concessionaires, and made available on ADM's site (in the gaming section) with links to the revised documentation and test endpoints.

Core technical changes: what’s really different?

You can't get to the entire PDFs on the ADM site from here, but extensive summaries from specialised sites give you a decent idea of the main technical trends throughout the protocols.

New standardised error codes

For PSR, PSIP, PSQF and PSV, ADM is introducing additional error codes. These allow the central system to give more granular feedback when a transaction or message is rejected (for example due to invalid parameters, format issues, timing problems or security constraints).

Impact:

Easier debugging for operators and platform providers
Better monitoring for ADM (they can see not only that something went wrong, but what went wrong, in a standardised way)
Over time, could support automated quality controls and dashboards internally

Stronger handling of IP addresses and IPv6

Across the betting protocols PSR 3.0, PSIP 3.0, PSQF 5.0 and PSV 2.0, ADM:

Changes the data type used to record the IP address from which a bet originates, via a specific extended attribute called ip_vendita_giocatore (2502).
In PGDA 3.0.0, several messages (e.g. purchase of participation rights, instant game messages, etc.) are explicitly updated to manage IPv6 addresses.

Impact:

More robust tracking of the network origin of each bet or participation, which is important for:
- Anti-fraud and AML checks
- Geolocation / territorial compliance
- Investigations into illegal intermediaries or off-platform channels
Future-proofing of the protocols as IPv6 adoption increases

Structural changes in PGDA messages and headers

The PGDA 3.0.0 draft (skill games, fixed-odds chance games, non-tournament card games) contains the most detailed list of edits:

Header field renaming, e.g.:
- lun_id_versione_gioco → lun_progr_versione_gioco
- id_versione_gioco → progr_versione_gioco

This suggests a more consistent naming scheme for game versioning / progression.

Multiple message updates (e.g. messages 220, 420, 510, 620, 762) to:
- Handle IPv6 addresses
- Fix wording or technical typos (“refusi”)
Elimination and consolidation of some messages:
- Removal of messages 831, 832, 850 related to software component reporting, replaced / centralised via a reworked message 833 (“communication of full hash of installed software”).
Update of the error table plus general clean-up of documentation.

Impact:

Clearer and more consistent interface for game version management
Streamlined way to report critical software components and hashes, which supports:
- Software integrity checks
- Certification processes
- Anti-tampering controls
Reduced ambiguity from legacy or overlapping messages

PBAD 4.0.0 (online bingo) and PSCP 2.0 (fixed-odds on controlled platforms) are listed as updated, even though the secondary sources provide fewer technical details; they are expected to follow the same philosophy: better alignment with the new concession framework, harmonised fields, and modern network / data handling.

Testing phase and timeline

All of the new protocols are clearly labelled as "drafts," which means they are not yet required production versions.

Important things to note:

The protocols will be available in a test environment starting on November 13, 2025 for PSR, PSIP, PSQF, PSV, and PGDA.
They are meant for "concessionaires authorised for remote gaming and related products," who can:
- Add the latest versions
- Test ADM's test endpoints
- Give ADM technical observations and feedback before they finish the specifications.

What's missing (for now): - There isn't an official public date yet for when everyone will have to transition to the new versions.

Effect on supervision, enforcement, and protecting consumers

Better ways to follow up and keep track of things

With more standardised fields and more data, ADM can:

More accurately reconstruct transaction histories
Find anomalous patterns and possible fraud
Make AML and anti-illegal gaming controls stronger

Strengthening ADM's digital approach

These changes are in line with ADM's continuing "digital transformation," which includes:

The reorganisation of ADM offices by region
The creation of central registries such the player account registry and the blacklist of illicit sites

Problems and dangers for the industry

Implementation complexity - many protocols and careful planning are needed
Transition risks—there may be problems during the adoption process.
Effect on smaller businesses—not having enough resources could make it take longer to comply
Need for clear final specs—waiting for ADM to confirm and set timelines

What to expect for next

Important things to keep an eye on:

Publishing the "final versions" of all the modified protocols
Sending out "ADM communications" on timelines and deadlines for adoption
Getting "industry feedback" on how technically possible it is

These changes are part of Italy's larger goal to have a "digitally modern, open, and controlled gaming market."

*Sources: ADM official announcement (7 November 2025)