ES
IT
PT
DE
NL
Lawmakers in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province have introduced a wide-ranging bill to strengthen online betting regulation, covering identity checks, session lengths, advertising, promotions and illegal operators.
Provincial deputies led by Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto filed the 64-article proposal, D-3634/26-27, in the provincial Chamber of Deputies. The bill would amend the existing framework rather than create a new regulated market.
Betting accounts would have to be personal and non-transferable. Operators would use real-time facial biometrics to verify customers when accounts are opened, sessions begin, funds are deposited or withdrawn, or bets exceed a threshold set by implementing regulations.
Sessions would be limited to 60 consecutive minutes, followed by an automatic logout and one-hour lockout. Three logins within 24 hours would trigger a 24-hour block. Platforms would display time and spending information and issue a warning after 30 minutes.
Advertising would require prior approval from the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos. Marketing aimed at minors or placed on public transport and in public spaces would be prohibited, while advertisements would carry the warning “Betting is not a game.” Operators could not describe betting as a game or entertainment, and welcome bonuses, free bets and inducements to begin or continue gambling would be banned.
Allowing a minor to gamble because of inadequate verification would constitute a very serious infringement carrying licence revocation as the principal sanction.
The bill would also establish a specialist prosecutor’s office for illegal online betting. Judges could order the blocking of websites, applications and digital accounts, suspend payment channels and remove illegal advertising within six hours.
Operators would contribute an amount equal to their spending on advertising, sponsorships, promotions and customer acquisition to a gambling-harm and mental-health fund. Municipalities would receive 70%, with the Health Ministry administering the remainder.
The proposal follows the revival of the Chamber’s Gambling, Lottery and Gambling-Harm Prevention Committee. In September, it was considering 27 gambling-related initiatives as lawmakers sought to consolidate existing proposals.
Bill D-3634/26-27 remains subject to consideration in the provincial legislature. It would need approval from both the Chamber of Deputies and Senate before becoming law.
