Sisal and CONI Launch Vinci Italia as First Dedicated Olympic Lottery

CONI has partnered with Sisal to launch Vinci Italia, Italy’s first lottery created to generate direct funds for the national Olympic team and its network of sports associations. On 28 September the ‘Vinci Italia’ lottery draw will be activated across Sisal’s 35,000 retail points and online platform. It follows seven years of development involving CONI, Sisal, the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency and government representatives.

Luciano Buonfiglio, CONI President, and Roberto Di Fonzo, Sisal CEO, announced the project, which Buonfiglio identified as a priority after his election in 2025. The scheme received approval in Italy’s previous Budget Law. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti was credited with supporting a sustainable funding source for Olympic sport.

Lottery Mechanics and Direct Funding Model

Vinci Italia operates as a daily draw of 40 numbers. Tickets cost €2 per combination and will be available at Sisal’s 35,000 retail points and online platform. The format includes opening jackpots guaranteeing a €2m prize pool.

65% of proceeds fund the player prize pool. Sisal distributes 27% of income directly to CONI for the Olympic cycle. CONI has stressed that the product is a lottery, not a sports-betting proposition. Plans include associating draw numbers with Italian athletes, Olympic disciplines and major events to raise their profiles.

Buonfiglio stated: “After 23 years, we are reviving the tradition through a game whose benefits will be passed on to sporting activities.” Mornati stated: “Not all young athletes are well known in the media, and our objective is to ensure that people get to know them.” Di Fonzo said the partnership supplies Sisal’s network, innovation capacity and experience to deliver “concrete and continuous support to the Italian Olympic movement.”

Historic Ties and Current Levy Negotiations

The launch revives Sisal’s connection to Italian sport funding. The company introduced football pools in 1946 to aid stadium reconstruction after the Second World War; the game later became Totocalcio under CONI management in 1948. This lottery is presented as the first modern vehicle for ring-fenced contributions spanning Olympic and Paralympic disciplines.

Separate talks on broader sports financing have resumed ahead of Budget 2027. Negotiating parties have agreed in principle on a 2% levy on sports betting wagers, termed the “Right-to-Bet” scheme. Proceeds would support the Italian Football Federation, youth academies, infrastructure, women’s and amateur football, and gambling-harm measures. However, negotiations have stalled following the FIGC presidential election of Giovanni Malagò amid disputes over broadcast rights and financial controls. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has set an end-of-September deadline for proposals with no exceptions.

The direct lottery mechanism supplies one reliable channel while levy discussions remain unresolved. How these parallel tracks conclude will determine the scale and stability of future public and commercial funding for Italian sport.

Reporting: SBC News

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