Buenos Aires legislature set for online gambling regulation discourse

Legislature in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires is to debate two bills in a bid to regulate the online gambling industry, with one setting a regulatory framework that would include problem gambling provisions while the other would establish a new online gambling law.

The online gambling law would declare that operators must contribute between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of each bet, as opposed to paying certain fees, as well as six per cent of gross income. Licenses would be valid for five years, with the Ministry of Finance in the city gaining regulatory control.

A condition from the Coalición Cívica, which forms a part of the ruling party, proposes a ban on the usage of credit cards in the online gambling sector, with players only being permitted to bet with debit cards. 

Furthermore, it is said that “the materialisation of betting needs to happen in the city of Buenos Aires,” meaning the government will need to come up with a monitoring mechanism to exclude players who reside in other Argentinian provinces.

The opposition will seek a complete ban on advertising, with the government also set to analyse whether sponsorships from betting operators can also be prohibited.

The legislature aims to approve an amendment to the current online gambling regulation, which came into force in February 2020, to allow licensed land-based casino operators to participate in the process.

Regulation would include a “clean record” provision, aiming to prevent “prosecuted people or in trial for crimes such as human, drugs or guns trafficking and money laundering” from applying for a license.