Buenos Aires bill would cap online betting sessions at 60 minutes and require facial recognition

A bill introduced by Mayra Mendoza would change how online gambling platforms operate in Buenos Aires province, with hard session limits, login caps, and real-time facial recognition. For PSPs and operators, the important bit is simple: this is not just “responsible gaming” language, it is an attempt to wire compliance directly into the product flow.

1. The proposal applies to the seven online gambling platforms currently authorized by the Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos (IPLyC): Bet365, Betano, Stake, Betsson, BetWarrior, Bplay and Sports.bet. It comes as online betting has expanded in Argentina, with growth accelerating after the FIFA World Cup 2026, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
2. The core restriction is a 60-minute game session cap. After that, the account closes automatically and the user cannot re-enter for at least one hour. The bill also sets a maximum of three logins per user every 24 hours; once that limit is reached, access is blocked until the next day and a responsible gambling message is displayed.
3. The draft also requires a permanent on-screen display of elapsed time and the amount wagered. In addition, the system would have to issue alerts that interrupt browsing when it detects behavior consistent with loss of control. In practice, that means the platform itself becomes the enforcement layer, not just a policy page buried in the footer.
4. Another major requirement is real-time biometric validation through facial recognition. The verification would be required to log in, make deposits, withdraw funds, or place bets above a minimum amount. For payment providers, that is the part that matters most: deposits and withdrawals would sit behind an identity check tied directly to the transaction flow.
5. The bill includes penalties for non-compliant platforms: fines, temporary license suspension, and, in the most serious cases, permanent revocation of authorization. It also creates a Permanent Working and Monitoring Board within the Buenos Aires Chamber of Deputies, under the Commission on Games of Chance, Lottery and Prevention of Gambling Addiction, which was created in February 2026. The commission, chaired by Micaela Olivetto, still has to review the bill, and as of early July 2026 it had not issued a report.

For high-risk operators and their PSPs, Buenos Aires is doing what regulators increasingly try to do: move from broad licensing rules to transaction-level and session-level controls. If adopted, the bill would force betting platforms to build compliance into login, wagering, deposits, and withdrawals, rather than treat it as an afterthought.