Argentina: Mendoza advances with online gaming

Senators in the Argentine province have approved a project to regulate online gaming. It will now be discussed by deputies.

Argentina.- Senators in the province of Mendoza have voted 36 against one to approve a project to regulate online gambling.

The project was put forward as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent closure of gaming establishments.

It would create a registry of gaming operators who have authorisation to run online gaming operations. Sites that are not included on the registry would be blocked.

Now that it has the approval of the province’s Senate, the project will be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies for a final decision.

Senator Mercedes Rus, who promoted the project along with Senator Marcelo Rubio, said during the senate debate: “It’s important that online gambling is subject to a system of control. We want operators to be subject to state oversight and to internationally established certification fees.

“Our aim is to know which platforms can offer these services in the province, and to know who is behind those platforms. The system will be closed and limited.”

Games that involve physical draws, such as lotteries, pools and raffles, will not be covered by the legislation and will instead remain governed by current regulations, even in cases where Electronic Capture Systems are a means of commercialisation.

The competent enforcement authority under the proposed regulation will be the Provincial Institute of Gaming and Casinos (IPJyC).