Buenos Aires City legislator proposes ban on online gambling
Gabriel Solano’s bill would revoke the 2020 regulation of online gambling in the Argentina capital.
Argentina.- Gabriel Solano, a Workers’ Leftist Front member of the Buenos Aires City legislature, has introduced a proposal that seeks to revoke the regulation of online gambling which launched in the Argentine capital in 2020.
Solano claimed there was concern among residents due to an increase in the number of minors gambling and being exposed to gambling advertisements.
He said: “The business of these companies escalated scandalously because even major football clubs carry the advertising of betting operators as sponsors on their shirts, making the situation worse. The phenomenon of online betting has escalated in teenagers and children. But it’s also a problem that affects workers who see the possibility of a way out from the social and economic crisis, unemployment and low wages.”
Online gambling in Argentina is licensed at a provincial level, so frameworks vary among its 23 provinces and the federal district of Buenos Aires City. The latter launched a regulated online gambling market in 2020, with LOTBA accepting applications from municipal gambling businesses in partnerships with foreign online operators such as bet365, GiG, Betsson and Playtech.
Solano’s party has little power in the Buenos Aires legislature, and it’s unlikely that his measure will advance, but it’s a sign of a hardening view being taken in light of concerns about the exposure of minors to gambling, particularly via ads on social media.
In May, tougher penalties were introduced for operators in a bid to prevent ads from reaching children. In June, Jorge Macris, the new leader of the city government, placed a halt on the issuance of any new online gambling licences while the government worked on further measures related to age restrictions. The existing 11 licensees continue to operate, but the government has announced an immediate review focusing on the processes in place for age verification.
This week, the national communications and media watchdog ENACOM announced that it had blocked 1,000 unlicensed gambling websites so far this year.
