Pressure mounts on the National Congress of Argentina to settle on the terms of its Bill of Federal Protections on gambling.
A mandate sanctioned by the Chamber of Congress at the close of 2024, civic committees are yet to agree on federal measures to protect Argentine society from pathological gambling disorders and harms.
The design of a new framework must prioritise the protection of Argentine youth and families, as strongly advocated by the executives of Buenos Aires City and Province.
“The rise in online gambling has outpaced regulation,” warned Buenos Aires Province legislator Diego Garciarena. “We cannot afford to wait any longer. This bill is about protecting children and preventing an addiction crisis before it’s too late.”
The bill, which should have been formally presented in the first half of 2025, remains stalled in legislative negotiations. Growing frustration among deputies reflects the impasse, with many fearing that continued inaction will allow gambling-related harms—particularly among minors—to worsen.
“Each month that passes without action increases the risk,” said one deputy from the Civic Coalition. “We’ve built consensus before—there’s no excuse now for the federal government to delay.”
Legislators from the Province of Buenos Aires, led by Garciarena, have renewed calls for urgent intervention. Demands sought by BA Province include biometric identity verification, payment restrictions through youth-accessible virtual wallets, and tighter regulation of gambling advertisements targeted at minors.
“If platforms can verify a user’s age to sell content or alcohol, they can do the same for gambling,” Garciarena argued. “There is no justification for this loophole to remain open.”
The Province of Buenos Aires, faced with limited federal progress, has warned it may introduce its own local bill to regulate online gambling and protect vulnerable users.
“Buenos Aires cannot stand still while national lawmakers argue over procedure,” said a spokesperson for the provincial executive branch. “If Congress fails to act, we will.”
Such a move would reflect mounting regional pressure on the national government to adopt cohesive protections across jurisdictions.
The measures proposed by the Province of Buenos Aires align with a broader legislative consensus reached within the Chamber of Deputies during late 2024. These include mandatory prevention programs, updates to the national Gambling Law, a ban on underage access to gambling sites, and a comprehensive advertising code.
While the measures proposed by Buenos Aires enjoy broad public support, civic committees remain uncertain whether Argentine authorities possess the institutional capacity and technical resources to enforce such stringent oversight in particular with regards to youth protections from online gambling exposure.
“This mandate carried a rare degree of cross-party agreement,” said a senior member of the Addiction Prevention Committee. “It’s a foundation we cannot afford to ignore, especially with elections looming.”
With legislative elections scheduled for October 2025, there is widespread concern that a change in the composition of the Chamber of Deputies could derail or delay the mandate.
“If we don’t pass this bill before October,” warned Garciarena, “it may not survive the next Congress. We will have failed a generation if that happens.
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