IPLyC's Atanasof says 80% of Buenos Aires online gambling is illegal

Gonzalo Atanasof, president of the Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos de Buenos Aires (IPLyC), told provincial legislators that an estimated 80% of gambling would be illegal and that illegal gambling moves US$3.6bn in Argentina, according to an account of the meeting published by Diputados Bonaerenses and. Atanasof appeared on 19 October before the Commission on Games of Chance, Lottery and Gambling Addiction Prevention of the provincial Chamber of Deputies, chaired by Micaela Olivetto of Fuerza Patria, to give the regulator's view on a bill to regulate online betting and prevent gambling addiction.

Atanasof said the last disbursement by the IMF was US$1bn and the budget of the national Ministry of Justice is US$1.4bn, compared with US$3.6bn for illegal gambling in Argentina, which he described as three times the other figures. He said illegal operations must be addressed by the executive, legislative and judicial branches, and that the expansion of digital platforms, hyperconnectivity and changes in consumption habits had deepened the problem of clandestine betting. He was accompanied by Carlos Gallo, provincial director of Games and Exploitation, and Sebastián Silvestre, director of Legal Affairs.

The bill, the Régimen Integral de Prevención y Regulación de las Apuestas en Línea, was introduced by Fuerza Patria deputies Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto. According to the source, it proposes real-time facial biometric verification to operate, strict limits on session time and access, an absolute ban on bonuses and recruitment incentives, a prohibition on the word "juego" in commercial communication, restrictions on advertising including on public roads and the use of AI, a requirement of 100% national capital for licensees, new fees on advertising and prizes, and the creation of a Specialised Prosecutor's Office for Illegal Betting (FEAIL). It also provides for a fund for neighbourhood clubs and sports scholarships, made up of 3% of what companies collect in prizes.

Gallo said that between January and September, 3% of prizes in Buenos Aires province amounted to AR$532m, and that this represents 76% of the gross profit produced by online gambling, which he said would affect the operation of betting. Silvestre said a specialised prosecutor's office needs staff, resources and technology to reach the owners of illegal casinos and not only cashiers, and said illegal gambling is organised crime, with money often directed to money laundering, property purchases and other businesses.

Lotería y Casinos asked for legal changes to make asset confiscation easier. Silvestre proposed adding the figure of "presunto infractor" to the Buenos Aires Criminal Code to facilitate the provisional seizure of money, servers and other items used by organisations, and asked for reform of article 301 bis of the Criminal Code, which sanctions the exploitation of gambling without authorisation, so that proceedings do not end without confiscation. He said confiscation currently comes at the end of a case and that seized items may have to be returned if suspension of trial is granted.

Atanasof said the meeting could be the start of a path to obtain more tools and better results, and described the exchange with legislators as productive. Olivetto said hearing the provincial body's position would enrich the discussion and advance legislative treatment. The source says progress of the text depends on negotiations between the different blocs and on gathering the signatures needed to issue a committee opinion.