Goodbye gold tokens, Gerry Scotti announces cash prizes. Why and what's changing?
It truly is the end of a historic symbol of Italian television. From February 1, 2026, the awards will be held. The wheel of fortune e Who wants to Be a Millionaire will no longer be paid in gold tokens, but directly liquidated in real money, with application of the Withholding Tax. It was to announce it Gerry Scottic, marking a concrete turning point for two of the longest-running and most recognisable quizzes of Channel 5A decision that closes a decades-long era and definitively updates the television winning system.
Gerry Scotti's announcement live on TV
The communication came during the February 2, 2026 episode of The wheel of fortuneIn his straightforward style, Gerry Scotti explained to the audience that the change had been long-anticipated. It was a request the host himself had made long ago, but it remained unanswered for a long time.
The message was clear: from now on, game show prizes will no longer be represented by gold tokens, but by real money, credited to the winners. The news does not only concern the program conducted together with Samira Lui, but also the historical Who wants to Be a Millionaire, another pillar of Mediaset programming.
Why Gold Tokens Are Retiring
I gold tokens were introduced in the 1955 as a technical and regulatory solution. They served to avoid violations related to the laws on gioco d’azzardo, which in Italy allow immediate cash winnings only in regulated contexts such as casino e betting centers.
Over time, however, the system revealed clear limitations. Each token has a high value, tied to the price of gold, and large wins required complex logistical operations. In many cases, prizes were delivered via armored vans, with inevitable bureaucratic complications.
What really changes for the winner?
From a practical standpoint, the change is significant. With the new system, whoever wins The wheel of fortune and Who wants to Be a Millionaire receives a direct Bank transfer, with the amount already deducted from the expected tax. In the past, in fact, the winner was required to pay a 20% tax on gaming prizes, with a further reduction in the amount actually collected after the conversion of the tokens.
The transition to direct money makes the process more transparent and immediate, eliminating intermediate steps and uncertainty about the final value of the winnings.
The normative basis that makes change possible
The turning point does not come from nothing. Starting from January 1, 2019a whirlpool bath, ruling of the Lazio Regional Administrative Court It opened the way to abolishing the mandatory use of gold tokens on television programs with cash prizes. From that moment on, broadcasters could choose whether to maintain the traditional system or switch to direct settlement.
With the decision announced by Gerry Scotti, Mediaset takes a definitive step towards updating the format. February 1, 2026, historical quizzes align themselves with a simpler, more modern and understandable model for the public too.