Argentine Chamber of Deputies fastracks debate on proposed federal ban on gambling ads
Opposition blocs pushed for an urgent debate before the summer recess.
Argentina.- A proposed federal ban on gambling advertising will be debated in Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday (November 27). Opposition blocs pushed for the bill to be fast-tracked in order for it to be debated before the three-month summer recess begins on November 30.
The bill would transform gambling regulation in Argentina by making harm-minimisation measures a national rather than provincial matter. The proposal would override provincial regulations, banning all gambling advertising and sponsorship throughout the national territory.
That would include a ban on betting company logos on football shirts as well as ads in both digital and traditional media and welcome bonuses on gambling platforms. There would also be a ban on using credit or social benefit cards for gambling.
Opposition parties including the Justicialisa faction Unión por la Patria, Encuentro Federal, the Civic Coalition, and left-wing groups support the bill. The ruling coalition, comprising president Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza, Pro and a section of the Unión Cívica Radical wants to exclude sponsorship deals from the bill.
The move comes after the Pro-led government of Jorge Macri in Buenos Aires city, the federal capital territory, suspended issuing gambling licences due to concerns about gambling among minors. The existing 11 licensees continue to operate, but the government announced an review focusing on the processes in place for age verification.
In neighbouring Buenos Aires province, UCR provincial deputy Diego Garciarena has submitted a bill that would require biometric identification for gambling products. The bill also aims to limit gambling advertising in a bid to reduce exposure among minors.
Garciarena claimed that the province, the most populous in Argentina, had seen an increase in underage gambling. On the topic of advertising, his bill proposes to follow the lead of countries such as Spain and to ban the use of well-known public figures in sports and entertainment from promoting gambling.
