Renewed efforts to ban online gambling in Córdoba
The Civic Front bloc of the Córdoba Legislature presented a new bill that seeks to repeal Law No. 10,793 which regulates online gambling in the province. Online gambling launched in the province in January 2024. The new initiative was signed by Walter Nostrala, the head of the bloc.
The legislators recalled that in 2024, the ruling party did not support the request for the repeal of the regulation and stated that this year they will insist on the bill’s treatment.
“Last year we could not achieve the repeal of this law; we were very close, but we said that we lost a battle, but we are not going to abandon the war against online gambling. From our bloc, we continue to maintain that the State cannot be a partner in gambling, as it only serves to enrich a few at the cost of harming our children,” Nostrala asserted.
The new project emphasized that the approval of online gambling was expedited and occurred at the year’s end and that its approval has led to significant negative consequences.
Citing a report revealing that 16% of young people engage in online gambling Nostrala’s initiative denounced that “the law, along with its regulations, while aiming to regulate online gambling activity in its various modalities to eliminate clandestineness, undoubtedly prioritized revenue-generating purposes over what is established in Article 4 of the norm, which is the protection of children and adolescents.”
They also requested that the perspectives of the Catholic advocacy group Social Pastoral and Archbishop Ángel Rossi of Córdoba be considered concerning the regulation and continuation of online betting permits, as both have expressed their opposition to the legislation.
In July the party introduced plans to introduce a bill in the Córdoba Provincial Legislature aiming to repeal online gambling. In September the Córdoba Legislature rejected two bills proposing to repeal the law including the bill put forward by The Civic Front.
Online betting is only permitted from devices located in the province of Córdoba and online gambling is distributed between four companies: Betsson, PlayCet, B-Play and Jugadón. Licenses are valid for 15 years and may not be renewed. Betsson partnered up with Argentine casino operator Casino de Victoria. Locally based slot operator CET (Concesionaria de Entretenimiento y Turismo) operates jointly with the Paraguayan sports betting operator Daruma Sam. Buenos Aires-based slot operator Boldt partnered with SG Digital (B-Play), while online casino brand Jugadón is operated by a group that operates arcades, racetracks and slot machines in the province of San Luis.
