Buenos Aires senator files bill to ban online betting

Senator Federico Fagioli has filed a bill to ban online betting in Buenos Aires province. The proposal would repeal articles 146 to 173 of the Law on the Regulation of Online Gaming No. 15.079, the chapter that authorises the activity, and would end the licences that permit it. The bill was presented under the informal name "Ley Lula", a reference to Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and to measures taken in Brazil on online betting, citing the outlet Diputados Bonaerenses.

The prohibition would cover sports betting before and during events; online casino games including slots, roulette, blackjack and poker; and bets on virtual events or games whose result depends wholly or predominantly on chance. It would also cover other equivalent modalities that involve risking money in the expectation of a prize or economic return. Lotteries, pools and draws would remain permitted, as would the electronic sale of games that involve neither betting nor cash prizes.

Under a transition regime, operators could not accept new deposits, top-ups or transfers intended for bets or for the prohibited games once the law took effect. Within 10 calendar days they would have to stop new games or sessions, withdraw all advertising, promotion, bonuses and sponsorship, and block access to their gaming pages for users located in Buenos Aires province. Within 30 calendar days they would have to return the full balance in each user's gaming account and file an itemised report with the Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos (IPLyC Buenos Aires) covering balances, pending bets, prizes and refunds.

The bill would ban advertising, promotion, marketing, sponsorship and any other commercial communication that directly or indirectly encourages online betting across the province. The restriction would extend to influencers, affiliates, bonuses and promotional codes. It would task IPLyC Buenos Aires with identifying and blocking websites, apps, profiles, content and digital mechanisms that offer or facilitate the prohibited activities, and the body could also file criminal complaints. The provincial administration would run prevention campaigns on the risks of online betting, the prohibitions, complaint channels and free guidance, assistance and treatment services.

In his grounds for the bill, Fagioli said the expansion of platforms had changed the traditional characteristics of gambling, arguing that betting from any internet-connected device removed many of the material, spatial and temporal barriers that historically separated people from physical gambling establishments. He said immediate and permanent access to platforms without territorial restrictions required reconsidering the effectiveness of regulation of authorised operators, and that growth in these modalities posed new challenges for the provincial state's control and prevention tools. Fagioli said the discussion should not be limited to the conditions under which licensed platforms may operate but should also consider whether certain gambling modalities are compatible with public health protection.