Argentina and Paraguay step up regional cooperation against illegal online gambling

CASCBA took part in a technical training session aimed at strengthening the prevention and fight against illegal online gambling at the regional level. For high-risk operators and PSPs, the point is straightforward: when regulators, prosecutors, and law-enforcement bodies coordinate, the tolerance for payment flows into unlicensed betting and gaming drops fast.

1. The session was organized by ALEA (Asociación de Loterías Estatales de Argentina) and brought together public and private representatives from Argentina and Paraguay to share knowledge and experience on one of the main challenges in the digital gambling ecosystem.
2. On the Argentine side, participants included Mario Alejandro Trucco, Executive Director of ALEA; Luis Zanazzi, Academic Programs Coordinator; and representatives of LOTBA (Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires): Ezequiel Domínguez, Director; Eva Del Río Frontera, General Secretary; and Federico Cattori. Also present were Rodrigo Nahuel Branca, Director of the CIJ (Cuerpo de Investigaciones Judiciales), and Belén Rota, Secretary of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Gambling of the City of Buenos Aires (FEJA).
3. The training was aimed at representatives of APOJA (Asociación Paraguaya de Operadores de Juegos de Azar), the Public Ministry - Attorney General’s Office of Paraguay, SEPRELAD (Secretaría de Prevención de Lavado de Dinero o Bienes), the Paraguayan National Police, and technical teams involved in the prevention, detection, and investigation of illegal online gambling.
4. Attendees reviewed the main features of the illegal ecosystem, the user-acquisition methods used on digital platforms, and the methodologies applied to digital intelligence and investigation. The agenda also covered electronic evidence preservation, money laundering risks, and the regulatory, administrative, and judicial tools available to intervene against these operations.
5. ALEA said the session also included Argentina’s experience with cooperation between regulators, prosecutors, investigative forces, specialized bodies, and legally authorized operators, with the stated goal of strengthening institutional capacity in Paraguay. CASCBA added the regulated sector’s view on the impact of illegal supply, the risks to users, and the use of social media and other digital channels to acquire players.

CASCBA also presented mechanisms for detecting and reporting illicit gambling and fraud, plus possible avenues for cooperation between licensed operators, regulators, and technology providers. The session ended with a visit to the operation rooms of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which was described as part of the inter-institutional process focused on identifying and addressing illegal online gambling.