Over 180 Italian amusement operators have taken to the streets in Rome and Milan to protest the government’s prolonged closure of video arcades, slot houses and casinos, despite reopening restaurants and non-essential retail.
The two demonstrations come after 220 consecutive days of venue closures across the country, with operators looking to raise awareness for the industry and to showcase the extensive measures already undertaken to protect staff and customers.
“In less than one month, we’ve organised two big protests in the main squares of the two biggest Italian cities: Piazza del Popolo (Rome) and Piazza Duomo (Milan) at the same time and connected on live with big screen,” said Elmac spokesperson Tiziano Tredese.
“We protested because workers, operators, distributors, producers include more than 150.000 people. We all are going to close, because we cannot continue to maintain our firms with ZERO income!”
In line with other businesses, Italian arcades have installed stringent safety measures, including plexiglass barriers, distanced machines, temperature checks and masks.
As well as disadvantaging operators, the ongoing closure is also depriving the Italian government of the E5bn it earns annually from coin operated machines alone.
“Many Parliamentarians came to speak,” added Tredese. “They made many promises, but at the moment [it is] anyone’s idea about when we could reopen.”
