Buenos Aires Deputies begin debate on mega bill against online betting

The Buenos Aires provincial Chamber of Deputies is set to start debating the so-called mega law against online betting, a bill pushed by La Cámpora lawmakers Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto. For PSPs and operators, the important part is simple: this is not just rhetoric about “responsibility”; it is a legislative push for tighter controls on authorized online betting platforms in one of Argentina’s key provinces.

1. The Games of Chance, Lottery and Prevention of Problem Gambling committee, chaired by Olivetto, has called an informational meeting for Wednesday, October 14, at 12:00, to discuss the bill titled the “Régimen Integral para la Prevención y el Abordaje de los Riesgos Asociados a las Apuestas en Línea”.
2. According to legislative sources from Fuerza Patria, the ruling bloc will seek to move the bill forward with a committee opinion in a joint plenary next week, with the goal of bringing it to the floor in the session scheduled for October 20. The official lower-house summons is still pending.
3. Gonzalo Atanasof, head of the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos, is also scheduled to take part in a committee plenary on Monday, October 19, where he will present his views on the proposal.
4. At the last committee meeting, representatives from different political groups set out their proposals and disagreements over the growth of online betting and the need to strengthen prevention policies. The ruling bloc is now trying to build an opposition consensus to secure a majority opinion for the bill.
5. During the bill’s presentation last week at the Salón de los Pasos Perdidos of the lower house, Tignanelli said the sponsors will also present the project in different parts of the province and seek backing from social institutions, mayors, Church representatives, and the judiciary.

The draft includes stricter security and prevention rules for authorized online betting platforms in Buenos Aires province. Among the measures mentioned so far are personal, non-transferable accounts for each user and biometric verification, including real-time facial recognition, for account use. The text in circulation cuts off there, which is often where the compliance headache begins: once legislators start specifying account ownership and identity checks, operators and PSPs need to map the proposal to onboarding, KYC, and fraud controls fast.