🪓 Argentina🇦🇷: the "Lula Law" and other proposals from legislators in the province of Buenos Aires

🪓 Argentina🇦🇷: the "Lula Law" and other proposals from legislators in the province of Buenos Aires

Ban gambling, but keep sports betting for now.

🗣️ During discussions on the comprehensive gambling regulation bill in the province of Buenos Aires, legislators have put forward numerous proposals. The most radical comes from opposition lawmaker Federico Fagioli, who has proposed banning gambling altogether. The bill has been dubbed the "Lula Law": if such a measure is possible in Brazil🇧🇷, why not in Argentina🇦🇷❓

📌 (Spoiler: because Argentina is not Brazil, and the elections are still a year away. While Lula may have sought to attract part of the evangelical electorate during his election campaign, the objectives pursued by lawmaker Fagioli remain unclear.)

🗣️ What is being proposed? Repealing Chapter VIII (Articles 146–173) of Law No. 15079, which regulates online gambling, with the aim of revoking licenses for organizing roulette, blackjack, poker and other similar games involving monetary wagers. The proposal also seeks to ban live sports betting, prediction betting and other similar forms of wagering. What would remain❓ Lotteries, number games and prize draws would still be permitted, along with games without wagers or monetary prizes.

🗣️ Specific measures:

⏺ Once the law enters into force, operators will no longer be allowed to accept deposits, top-ups or transfers;
⏺ Within 10 days, they must stop launching new games and sessions, remove advertising and block gambling websites for users in the province;
⏺ Within 30 calendar days, operators must refund the funds remaining in each player's account and submit an individual report to the provincial regulator;
⏺ Advertising, promotion, marketing, sponsorship and any other form of commercial communication related to gambling will be prohibited throughout the province.

🗣️ A total of 22 bills have been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies of the province of Buenos Aires as part of the debate on gambling regulation, while another three are being discussed in the provincial Senate. Some of the proposals have been incorporated into a 64-article bill ("mega-bill") promoted by the opposition. However, no one had previously gone as far as proposing a total ban. Even Tignanelli, leader of the Peronist bloc in the lower house, acknowledged that such a measure would require amendments to federal legislation.

🗣️ A less restrictive proposal was introduced by lawmaker Roberto Vázquez, who proposed charging an access fee equivalent to 10 minimum bets for entry to gambling platforms. The stated objective is, of course, to "prevent the development of gambling addiction" among children and adolescents. (As a reminder, the average age at which people in Argentina start gambling is 13.)

🗣️ The bill provides for an access fee equivalent to 10 minimum bets, with the amount varying depending on the type of game. The funds collected would be allocated to financing gambling addiction prevention, research and treatment programs, as well as assistance initiatives for people experiencing gambling-related problems, particularly minors. The proposal also includes the usual session-duration restrictions, deposit limits, biometric identification and self-exclusion measures.

🟦 Context: It is worth recalling that there are only 7 legal gambling operators in the province, and they already pay all applicable taxes. Who would benefit from introducing this new fee is left to the reader to consider.

#news #Argentina #gambling #betting

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