Buenos Aires senator proposes bill to ban online gambling

Buenos Aires Senator Federico Fagioli has introduced a bill that would ban most online gambling in Buenos Aires Province. The proposal would repeal the existing online gambling framework of Chapter VIII of Provincial Law No. 15,079 and replace it with a ban on most kinds of online betting and gambling, according to Diputados Bonaerenses. The bill has yet to pass through the provincial legislative process before any of its proposed restrictions could take effect.

The bill drew its inspiration from Brazil's recent prohibition of fixed-odds betting, enacted through Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026, which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed on 25 September. Under the proposed structure, only lotteries, quinielas and draws would remain authorised. The bill covers online gambling and games including slot machines, roulette, blackjack and poker, along with any other game in which players stake money on the possibility of a payout or another reward.

If approved, the legislation would bar licensed operators from accepting new deposits and from transferring funds to be used for gambling, and operators would have to block new gaming beginnings after it becomes law. It would also ban online gambling advertising, promotions, bonuses and sponsorships in Buenos Aires Province, including direct and indirect online advertising for betting. Operators would have to refund the entire amount in every gambler's account and file individual reports with the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos covering outstanding prizes, pending bets and account balances. The regulator would have to designate and block websites, applications, social media profiles and other content that provide or facilitate online gambling.

Fagioli said the digital revolution had changed access to gambling, with users able to place bets from anywhere with an internet connection using mobile devices. "The expansion of platforms has changed the traditional characteristics of games of chance; the possibility of betting from any device connected to the internet has eliminated many of the material, spatial and temporal barriers that historically separated people from physical gambling establishments," the senator said. He added that the spread of such gambling creates fresh difficulties for the provincial government's control and prevention tools.

Fagioli's proposal contrasts with an independent bill from lawmakers Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto that aims to tighten rules and preventive measures for the online gambling industry without banning it outright. Tignanelli reportedly has said he supports a ban on online gambling but believes such a measure would need legislation at the national level. The Olivetto proposal takes a regulatory, restriction and prevention approach.